Identifies areas across NSW where the greatest benefit to NSW plant biodiversity is achieved by conserving and managing extant native vegetation. This layer is one of four approaches to vegetation management, comprising: Manage benefits highlights remaining examples of highly cleared vegetation types Improve benefits highlights where remaining examples of highly cleared vegetation types can be improved in condition Restore benefits highlights where to restore highly cleared vegetation types in cleared landscapes Landscape benefits highlights areas that contribute to the connectivity between extant native vegetation. Includes existing vegetation and locations to restore lost linkages. Version 1.0 (2012) produced for the Draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy (see this report). Data is relevant to 2012 Version 2.2 (2020) produced for data relevant to 2017 and 2020. The 2020 data only differs from 2017 by incorporating fire extent and severity data. Future updates of the layer will reflect whatever ecological recovery has occurred by that date More information For more detail see NSW Native Vegetation Management Benefits Analyses Technical report (2012), this technical report (2020), and this scientific paper on the method (2014). Climate-informed versions of the manage benefits and restore benefits (v.1) can be found here.

Identifies areas across NSW where the greatest benefit to NSW plant biodiversity is achieved by restoring native vegetation This layer is one of four approaches to vegetation management, comprising: Manage benefits highlights remaining examples of highly cleared vegetation types Improve benefits highlights where remaining examples of highly cleared vegetation types can be improved in condition Restore benefits highlights where to restore highly cleared vegetation types in cleared landscapes Landscape benefits highlights areas that contribute to the connectivity between extant native vegetation. Includes existing vegetation and locations to restore lost linkages. Version 1.0 (2012) produced for the Draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy (see this report). Data is relevant to 2012 Version 2.2 (2020) produced for data relevant to 2017 and 2020. The 2020 data only differs from 2017 by incorporating fire extent and severity data. Future updates of the layer will reflect whatever ecological recovery has occurred by that date More information For more detail see NSW Native Vegetation Management Benefits Analyses Technical report (2012), this technical report (2020), and this scientific paper on the method (2014). Climate-informed versions of the manage benefits and restore benefits (v.1) can be found here.

Landscape benefits (aka consolidate benefit) mapping highlights areas where conservation of existing vegetation, condition improvement of degraded vegetation, or rehabilitation of cleared areas are most likely to contribute to maintaining and enhancing connectivity across a region This layer is one of four approaches to vegetation management, comprising: Manage benefits highlights remaining examples of highly cleared vegetation types Improve benefits highlights where remaining examples of highly cleared vegetation types can be improved in condition Restore benefits highlights where to restore highly cleared vegetation types in cleared landscapes Landscape benefits highlights areas that contribute to the connectivity between extant native vegetation. Includes existing vegetation and locations to restore lost linkages Version 1.0 (2012) produced for the Draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy (see this report). Data is relevant to 2012 Version 1.1 (2017) produced for data relevant to 2013 More information For more detail see the Native Vegetation Management Benefits technical report and this scientific paper on the method. Climate-informed versions of the manage benefits and restore benefits (v.1) can be found here.

Ecological restoration is essential to meet global biodiversity conservation goals. Given limited conservation budgets, deciding where to restore habitat is a key challenge for the coming decade. This dataset includes optimal restoration sites selected from multiple restoration model scenarios. We developed a modeling approach to maximize conservation benefit/restoration cost ratios to prioritize restoration, and we illustrate this approach using a case study for highly threatened grassland ecosystems in the Great Plains region of Kansas, USA. We selected five grassland wildlife species [greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido), lesser prairie chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), swift fox (Vulpes velox), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), and regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia)] as indicators of restoration benefit across taxa.

To maximise outcomes for biodiversity over such a large area like NSW, decisions on where to invest need to be made carefully. In response to this, the NSW Government developed a set of draft Priority Areas for investment in native vegetation management as part of the draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy 2010-2015. State scale priorities for investment are presented in the Priority Areas Map in Part A of the draft Strategy. The draft Strategy divides the ecosystems of NSW based on 15 formations described by Keith (2004), and all have been mapped with the exception of ‘Arid Acacia Shrublands’, ‘Arid Chenopod Shrublands’, ‘Rivers’, ‘Marine Waters’, ‘Estuaries and Coastal Lakes’ and ‘Freshwater Wetlands’. Part B of the draft Strategy presents Priority Areas for each in a series of 15 ‘ecosystem profiles’. The prioritisation was undertaken using the Biodiversity Forecasting Toolkit (BFT) (NSW DEC 2006), a decision-support system developed by NSW DEC for evaluating biodiversity outcomes and for mapping biodiversity management priorities. Technical detail to support this statement can be obtained from: DECCW (2010) Deriving Priority Areas for Investment: A Technical Report to accompany the draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy This statement describes the data and processes used to produce two interim products to assist the public exhibition of the draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy (2010-15): 1) the derivation of proposed State scale priorities for investment in native vegetation management in NSW; and 2) description of those priorities according to the Keith (2010) vegetation classification. The proposed State scale priorities are described in detail in the draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy 2010-2015. It had been planned that the proposed priorities were subject to comment during public exhibition, and a final version was to follow subject to review of comments received on the draft Strategy. The Strategy was never finalised. The Priority Areas were developed to inform the former CMAs (now LLS) Catchment Action Plans that identified priorities for NRM. LLS don’t do these Plans anymore. Several meetings were held with NPWS on how they could use the priorities to inform investment in rehab/reveg in NPWS reserves and how it related to an analysis that Andrew Steed had done. This spatial data is in the format of Esri GRID in Lamberts Conic Conformal projection.

The NSW Native Vegetation Area Clearing Estimate (NVACE) is a statewide spatial vector layer estimating the presence and absence of native vegetation at 2020. The NVACE does not discriminate different types of native vegetation. The NVACE dataset has been developed by DPE to provide guidance on whether a development exceeds the Area Clearing Threshold for entry into the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme (BOS), as guided by Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2017 s7.2. The NVACE uses best available primary and supplementary datasets to identify areas where native woody and non-woody vegetation occurs. Due to datasets being of different ages and resolution, errors of commission and omission may be included. The dataset is subject to limitations of scale and accuracy which need to be considered when applying the dataset. The limitations are more fully described in the method (see web link below). The NVACE data is intended to provide guidance on the presence or absence of native vegetation only. The dataset was first published by NSW Department Planning and Environment (DPE) in 2023 and will be updated intermittently. Primary published datasets used in the creation of NVACE Version 1 include: NSW Native Vegetation Extent 5m raster NSW Landuse 2017 The NVACE is refined using a combination of datasets to remove known areas of clearing, for example, Statewide Landcover and Tree Survey (SLATS) data for woody vegetation and non woody vegetation change clearing events from Non-Woody Landcover Disturbance Program (NWD). The Geoscape Surface Cover raster is used to refine native vegetation in urban areas. Components are used to remove roads and swimming pools and add increased resolution tree canopies. Land identified as Category 1 exempt under the amended Local Land Services act 2013 has been removed from NVACE as per the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Small polygons resulting from editing the NVACE are removed as artefacts. A more detailed description of the methodology is published and provided on the DPE website. Together with the Biodiversity Values Map, the NVACE forms the basis for determining whether a local development (Part 4 NSW EP&A Act) should be assessed for inclusion in the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme. A development which is required to be assessed for clearing of native vegetation in the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme may then potentially require biodiversity offsets against any losses undertaken as part of the development. The dataset is primarily available to be displayed at a property scale when preparing a Biodiversity Map and Threshold (BMAT) report but may be provided on application to users in a spatial data format. More information on the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme can be viewed here: About the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme | NSW Environment and Heritage The Biodiversity Values Map homepage, containing links to the BMAT tool and other related BOS information can be viewed here: Biodiversity Values Map | NSW Environment and Heritage