This dataset contains the 16 National Landscape areas - as defined by the staff in the Planning, Tourism and National Landscapes Section (PTNL Section) within the Parks Australia Division.

The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Regions dataset has been prepared for the purpose of reporting on the Australian Government's Caring for our Country investments. The dataset is designed to cover all Australian territory where Caring for our Country projects might take place and includes major islands; external territories; state and coastal waters; in addition to the 56 NRM regions. This version of the data is an update and formalisation of the 'interim 2010' dataset (which was an interim update of the NRM Regions 2009 dataset- publicly released in Feb 09).Whilst the boundaries of NRM Regions are defined by legislation in some states and territories this dataset should not be used to represent legal boundaries in any way. It is an administrative dataset developed for the purpose of reporting and public information. It should be noted that from time to time the states and/or territories may revise their regional boundaries in accordance with local needs and therefore alterations to either the attribution or boundaries of the data may occur in the future.Caring for our Country commenced on 1 July 2008. It integrates delivery of the Australian Government's previous natural resource management programs, including the Natural Heritage Trust, the National Landcare Program, the Environmental Stewardship Program and the Working on Country Indigenous land and sea ranger program.Credit:The NRM region boundaries are primarily based on data and information supplied by the relevant State and Territory government agencies. Geoscience Australia's Australian Maritime Boundaries (2006) and Geodata Coast 100K (2004) data was also used in the development of this data.

The Natural Resource Management (NRM) Regions dataset is maintained for the purpose of authoritative reporting on the Australian Government's NRM investments. The dataset is designed to cover all Australian territory where Australian Government funded NRM projects might take place and includes major islands, external territories, and state and coastal waters in addition to the NRM regional boundaries.Whilst the boundaries of NRM Regions are defined by legislation in some states and territories, this dataset should not be used to represent legal boundaries in any way. It is an administrative dataset developed for the purpose of reporting and public information. It should be noted that from time to time the states and/or territories may revise their regional boundaries in accordance with local needs and therefore alterations to either the attribution or boundaries of the data may occur in the future.Current VersionIn total, the 2020 version dataset comprises 63 map objects for 61 NRM regions. These comprise 56 mainland regions (of which two have associated large islands as distinct map objects) and a further five external territory islands.The 2020 version updates the previous version (2017) with changes to boundaries of South Australian NRM Regions to align with new regional landscape boundaries (https://data.sa.gov.au/data/dataset/landscapes-sa-boundaries) under the Landscapes South Australia Act 2019 (SA) Act which replaced the Natural Resources Management Act 2004 (SA) Act. Minor edits were made to remove gaps, slivers and overlaps so the new SA boundaries aligned with non-SA NRM Regions. The "Hills and Fleurieu" and "Green Adelaide" Landscapes SA boundaries were merged to form the single 4010 "Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges" NRM Region, although at the request of the data owner, the previous names and internal boundaries were retained within this NRM region. Additionally a number of gaps and overlaps in the Western Australia NRM regions were fixed.Previous VersionThe 2017 version updates the previous version (2016 version 2) with changes to boundaries of six of Western Australia’s seven NRM regions (only Peel-Harvey Region is unchanged). The new WA boundaries are as agreed during 2017 by NRMWA, a collective of all incorporated NRM groups in that state.There are a few changes of NRM names in Qld, Tas and WA from the 2016 version based on line area’s suggestion.The 2017 version also removes the NRM_BODY data (added for 2016 version 2) and the non-spatial OceanWatch map label previously included. These two changes relate to Australian Government administrative arrangements for NRM funding delivery.AttributesThe principle data fields in the 2017 version dataset are:- NRM_Region- State- Area_Description (land area, state and coastal waters, territorial sea, Torres Strait)- NRM_IDNRM_ID and NRM_Region Names grouped by state/territory are as follows:New South Wales (11 regions + 1 extra map object for Lord Howe Island)1010 Central Tablelands1020 Central West1030 Greater Sydney1040 Hunter1050 Murray1060 North Coast (excludes Lord Howe Island)1061 North Coast - Lord Howe Island1070 North West NSW1080 Northern Tablelands1090 Riverina1100 South East NSW1110 WesternVictoria (10 regions)2010 Corangamite2020 East Gippsland2030 Glenelg Hopkins2040 Goulburn Broken2050 Mallee2060 North Central2070 North East2080 Port Phillip and Western Port2090 West Gippsland2100 WimmeraQueensland (15 regions)3010 Burnett Mary3020 Cape York3030 Condamine3040 Co-operative Management Area (between Cape York and Northern Gulf)3050 Desert Channels3060 Fitzroy3070 Burdekin3080 Northern Gulf3090 Maranoa Balonne and Border Rivers3100 Mackay Whitsunday3110 South East Queensland3120 South West Queensland3130 Southern Gulf3140 Wet Tropics3150 Torres StraitSouth Australia (8 regions)4010 Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges4020 Alinytjara Wilurara4030 Eyre Peninsula4040 Kangaroo Island4050 Northern and Yorke4060 South Australian Arid Lands4070 South Australian Murray

Strategic assessments allow broader project areas to be assessed and then subject to a single approval process under the EPBC Act. The dataset shows the entire area considered under a strategic assessment as well as areas identified for development and conservation. Three strategic assessments have been completed in the ACT – Gungahlin, Molonglo Valley and West Belconnen. For further information please visit the strategic assessments webpage.

The 23 Conservation Management Zones of Australia are geographic areas, classified according to their ecological and threat characteristics. The zones are also aligned with the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia. The Conservation Management Zones provide a way of understanding Australia’s natural environment that will assist in long-term conservation planning and help the Australian Government to better design, deliver and report on Natural Resource Management (NRM) investments, including ensuring alignment of national NRM priorities with local action. The Conservation Management Zones also provide a filter through which to make national environmental and socio-economic data regionally meaningful, accessible and comprehensible to all. They provide a framework for gathering on-ground knowledge and expertise about the environment. This will improve information flow to the Australian Government and other key decision makers about regional NRM requirements, best practice management, emerging NRM issues and knowledge gaps. The Conservation Management Zones do not represent any change to existing administrative boundaries or governance structures, but aim to support the NRM and wider community to cooperatively manage environmental assets across boundaries, where they share common threats, ecological characteristics and stakeholders. The project builds on the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA) which has been used to support planning of the National Reserve System, but consolidates the 85 mainland IBRA regions into 23 Conservation Management Zones, where IBRA regions share common characteristics. Further information and profiles describing the zones can be accessed through the Department of the Environments web site at - https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/conservation-management-zones