This file geodatabase downloads contains two datasets (NVIS7_0_AUST_EXT_MVG_ALB and NVIS7_0_AUST_EXT_MVS_ALB) that provides the latest summary information on Australia's present (extant) native vegetation, classified into Major Vegetation Groups and Major Vegetation Subgroups. It is in Albers Equal Area projection with a 100 m x 100 m (1 Ha) cell size.
For this update, Version 7.0, the extant datasets for Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have been updated. An automated, data-driven procedure, followed by thorough manual checks, was undertaken to make any necessary updates to MVG/MVS assignments for New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania. Conversely, Queensland directly provided the MVG/MVS assignment for the state.
This product is derived from a compilation of data collected at different scales on different dates by different organisations. Please refer to the separate Key Dataset map showing scales of the input datasets 'NVIS7_0_KEY_DSET_xxx'. Gaps in the NVIS database were filled by non-NVIS data, notably parts of South Australia.
Major Vegetation Groups and Subgroups were identified to summarise the type and distribution of Australia's native vegetation. The classification contains different mixes of plant species within the canopy, shrub or ground layers, but are structurally similar and are often dominated by a single genus. In a mapping sense, the groups reflect the dominant vegetation occurring in a map unit where there are a mix of several vegetation types. Subdominant vegetation groups which may also be present in the map unit are not shown. For example, the dominant vegetation in an area may be mapped as dominated by eucalypt open forest, although it contains pockets of rainforest, shrubland and grassland vegetation as subdominants. A number of other non-vegetation and non-native vegetation land cover types are also represented as Major Vegetation Groups and Subgroups. These are provided for cartographic purposes but should not be used for analyses.
For further background and other NVIS products, please see the links at: http://www.environment.gov.au/land/native-vegetation/national-vegetation-information-system.
