2019–20 SLATS Report
Statewide breakdown
Key findings—clearing activity
- About 21% (88,327ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category B (remnant) areas—a 53% decrease in clearing activity in Category B from 2018–19 (189,735ha). Of this total, 48% (42,577ha) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation. The remainder of the clearing in Category B (remnant) areas was evenly distributed between areas that were partially cleared with a major level of disturbance (26% or 23,153ha) and areas cleared with a minor level of disturbance (26% or 22,597ha).
- About 2% (6,512ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category C (high-value regrowth vegetation), and less than 1% (2,447ha) was in Category R (regrowth watercourse area).
- Clearing activity in Category X areas (i.e. those areas not generally regulated by the Vegetation Management Act 1999) accounted for 77% (320,952ha) of the total clearing activity in Queensland. Most of this resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation (290,496ha or 91% of all Category X clearing activity).
- About 18% (74,305ha) of the clearing activity was in areas that have least concern regional ecosystems present and a further 5% (21,748ha) was in areas that have of concern regional ecosystems. About 1% (4,866ha) of the clearing was in areas that have endangered regional ecosystems present.
- Of the state’s 13 bioregions, the Brigalow Belt (48% or 199,218ha) and Mulga Lands (26% or 110,161ha) accounted for nearly three-quarters (74%) of the state’s woody vegetation clearing activity. In each of these bioregions, about 80% of the clearing activity was mapped as full clearing.
- Clearing activity in the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas accounted for 44% (182,904ha) of the state’s total clearing. This was a 16% decrease in clearing activity in reef catchments from 2018–19 (217,419ha). More than three-quarters (79% or 143,645ha) of the clearing in reef catchments in 2019–20 resulted in the full removal of the woody vegetation.
- About 85% (357,604ha) of the clearing activity was attributed to the pasture landcover replacement class. Of this, about 87% was full clearing. A further 3% (12,671ha) of the clearing activity was attributed to forestry.
- About 84% (352,169ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in sparse or very sparse woody vegetation (i.e. vegetation with less than 50% crown cover). A further 15% (62,665ha) of the clearing activity occurred in mid-dense vegetation (i.e. 50-80% crown cover).
- Based on estimates of woody vegetation ‘age since disturbance’, about 52% (216,335ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in vegetation estimated to be greater than 15 years old (refer to note). About 34% (141,044ha) of the total clearing occurred in vegetation that was estimated to be less than 15 years old. The remainder (15% or 61,279ha) occurred in woody vegetation where a valid ‘age since disturbance’ estimate could not be determined.
Key findings—regrowth
- Combined, the Desert Uplands (38% or 16,015ha) and Brigalow Belt (25% or 10,852ha) bioregions accounted for almost two-thirds of the new regrowth mapped for the state.
- About 77% (32,606ha) of the new regrowth mapped was attributed as regrowth in pasture, and about 17% (7,118ha) was attributed to forestry.
- Of the new regrowth mapped in 2019–20, about 83% (35,341ha) was categorised as either sparse or very sparse woody vegetation, and 17% (7,179ha) as mid-dense woody vegetation.
- Of the new regrowth mapped in 2019–20, 74% (31,636ha) was estimated to be less than 15 years old. A further 20% (8,503ha) was estimated to be greater than 15 years old. For the remaining 6% (2,436ha), a valid ‘age since disturbance’ estimate could not be determined.
Regulated vegetation management map categories
In 2019–20, about 21% (88,327ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category B (regulated remnant) areas, with around two-thirds of this in the Brigalow Belt (39% or 34,783ha) and Mulga Lands (29% or 25,858ha) bioregions. This represents a 53% decrease in clearing activity in Category B areas from 2018–19 (189,735ha). This is largely due to an 80% decrease in clearing activity in Category B areas in the Mulga Lands bioregion, which had 130,429ha of clearing in these areas in 2018–19.
Of the Category B clearing activity undertaken in 2019–20, 48% (42,577ha) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation, with the remainder evenly distributed between areas that were partially cleared with a major level of disturbance (26% or 23,153ha) or partially cleared with a minor level of disturbance (26% or 22,597ha). About 2% (6,512ha) of the statewide clearing activity undertaken in 2019–20 was in Category C (high-value regrowth vegetation), a 38% decrease from 2018–19 (10,522ha). Less than 1% (2,447ha) of the clearing activity undertaken in 2019–20 was in areas that intersect with a Category R (regrowth watercourse area), an 18% decrease from 2018–19 (2,968ha).
In 2019–20, clearing activity in Category X areas accounted for 77% (320,952ha) of the total clearing activity in Queensland—a 33% decrease from 2018–19 (477,389ha). However, as a proportion of the state’s total clearing, there was a 7% increase in clearing activity in Category X areas compared to 2018–19. Most of this clearing activity (91% or 290,496ha) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation. Category X areas are those that are not generally regulated by the Vegetation Management Act 1999, as identified in the Regulated vegetation management map.
Clearing activity—regulated vegetation management map category 2019–20
Regulated vegetation management maps show the different vegetation categories that are present on a parcel of land. This information helps land managers determine the type of approval needed for vegetation clearing. The categories are as follows:
- Category A—vegetation that is subject to compliance notices, offsets and voluntary declarations
- Category B—remnant vegetation shown on a regional ecosystem or remnant map as an endangered regional ecosystem, an of concern regional ecosystem or a least concern regional ecosystem
- Category C—high-value regrowth vegetation
- Category R—regrowth watercourse area
- Category X—vegetation that is not generally regulated by the vegetation management laws.
For further information refer to General guide to the vegetation clearing codes (PDF).
Vegetation management class
In 2019–20, about 18% (74,305ha) of the clearing activity was in areas that contained least concern regional ecosystems—a decrease of 58% from 2018–19 (175,258ha). About 5% (21,748ha) of the clearing was in areas identified as having of concern regional ecosystems—an increase of about 17% from 2018–19 (18,583ha). About 1% (4,866ha) of the clearing was in areas which have endangered regional ecosystems present, a 4% decrease from 2018–19 (5,077ha). The remaining 76% (317,736ha) was in areas with no vegetation management class.
It is important to note that for this reporting the precautionary principle is applied, with the highest vegetation management class used, regardless of the proportion present in regional ecosystem mapping. For example, where a mapped regional ecosystem contains least concern regional ecosystems as the dominant ecosystems, and an endangered regional ecosystem as subdominant, this will be reported as clearing in areas containing endangered regional ecosystems.
Clearing activity—vegetation management class 2019–20
The vegetation management class refers to the current regulated extent of a regional ecosystem. The categories are Endangered, Of concern and Least concern. No VM class refers to areas with no vegetation management class due to no regulated vegetation being present.
For further information refer to Biodiversity status and vegetation management class.
Bioregions
Of the state’s 13 bioregions, the Brigalow Belt (48% or 199,218ha) and Mulga Lands (26% or 110,161ha) combined, accounted for nearly three-quarters (74%) of the state’s total woody vegetation clearing activity in 2019–20. However, both bioregions showed significant decreases in clearing activity compared with 2018–19, with decreases of 31% and 61%, respectively. Most of the clearing activity in these two bioregions was in Category X areas, accounting for 80% (160,190ha) of the clearing in the Brigalow Belt and 75% (82,788ha) in the Mulga Lands. This contrasts with 2018–19 in the Mulga Lands, where 53% of the clearing was in Category X and almost all the other clearing activity was in Category B areas. The bioregions with the next highest levels of clearing activity in 2019–20 were Desert Uplands (8% of statewide total or 33,329ha), South East Queensland (7% or 30,046ha) and Mitchell Grass Downs (6% or 26,958ha). These levels of clearing activity were similar to those reported in 2018–19 for these bioregions.
Clearing activity—bioregion 2019–20
Clearing activity in bioregions in 2019–20.
Combined, the Desert Uplands (38% or 16,015ha) and Brigalow Belt (25% or 10,852ha) bioregions accounted for almost two-thirds of the new regrowth mapped for the state. Southeast Queensland (19% or 7,911ha) and Mulga Lands (11% or 4,868ha) accounted for most of the remaining regrowth mapped.
Regrowth—bioregion 2019–20
New regrowth in bioregions in 2019–20.
For further detailed breakdowns for each of the bioregions see further breakdowns by bioregion.
Great Barrier Reef catchments
Clearing activity in the Great Barrier Reef catchment areas accounted for 44% (182,904ha) of the state’s total clearing—this was a 16% decrease in clearing activity in reef catchments from 2018–19 (217,419ha). More than three-quarters (79% or 143,645ha) of the clearing in reef catchments in 2019–20 resulted in the full removal of the woody vegetation. About 80% (146,292ha) of the clearing in reef catchments was in Category X areas and 17% (30,856ha) was in Category B areas, with about 60% (18,379ha) of this being partial clearing. There was 2,447ha of clearing in areas that intersect with Category R (regrowth watercourse areas). Category R is specific to Great Barrier Reef catchment areas.
Clearing activity in Great Barrier Reef catchments 2018–19 and 2019–20
Area of clearing activity in Great Barrier Reef catchments in 2018–19 and 2019–20.
In 2019–20, about 65% (27,500ha) of the regrowth mapped in the state was in Great Barrier Reef catchments, which include large parts of the Desert Uplands and Brigalow Belt bioregions.
Regrowth in Great Barrier Reef catchments 2018–19 and 2019–20
Area of new regrowth in Great Barrier Reef catchments in 2019–20.
- Regrowth are new woody vegetation areas which have regrown sufficiently to be reliably added to the SLATS woody extent. Regrowth was not reported in 2018–19.
Landcover replacement class
In 2019–20, 85% (357,604ha) of the clearing activity was attributed to the pasture landcover replacement class, a 44% decrease in clearing activity for pasture from 2018–19 (633,335ha). Of this, 87% was full clearing. About 3% (12,671ha) of the clearing activity in 2019–20 was attributed to forestry, with crop (7,466ha) and mine (6,699ha) each accounting for about 2% of the total.
Clearing activity—landcover replacement class 2019–20
The landcover replacement class is interpreted by Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science scientists as part of the SLATS mapping process. It provides an indication of the purpose for which the vegetation was cleared. Read more about SLATS methodology.
- Pasture is clearing activity associated with grazing and other general agricultural land management practices—this class includes clearing for pasture, internal property tracks, fence lines or fire breaks.
- Crop is clearing activity for cropping or horticulture
- Forestry is clearing activity for timber harvesting in state or privately owned native or exotic (e.g. pine) forests or plantations (where it can be reliably attributed using authoritative data or other ancillary data sources).
- Mine is clearing activity for mining activities (including coal seam gas infrastructure).
- Infrastructure is clearing activity for utilities such as roads, railways, water storage, pipelines, powerlines etc.
- Settlement is clearing activity for urban development.
- Other refers to Partial (minor) clearing activity that is not able to be reliably attributed to a landcover replacement class due to the low level of modification associated with these clearing events.
About 77% (32,606ha) of regrowth mapped in the state was in areas that were attributed as regrowth in pasture. Most of the remainder of the regrowth mapped in 2019–20 was attributed to forestry (17% or 7,118ha) and crop (4% or 1,795ha), with most of the crop additions being new fruit tree orchards.
Regrowth—landcover replacement class 2019–20
The landcover replacement class is interpreted by Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science scientists as part of the SLATS mapping process. For new regrowth mapping, it provides an indication of the purpose for which the land is used where the regrowth occurs. Read more about SLATS methodology.
- Pasture is new regrowth in areas associated with grazing and related land management practices.
- Crop is new regrowth in woody crops and horticulture, including fodder crops and tree fruits and nuts.
- Forestry is new regrowth in state or privately owned native or exotic (e.g. pine) forests or plantations (where it can be reliably attributed using authoritative data or other ancillary data sources).
- Mine is new regrowth in mining areas (e.g. rehabilitation areas).
- Infrastructure is new regrowth associated with utilities such as roads, railways, water storage, pipelines, powerlines etc.
- Settlement is new regrowth in urban areas and can include gardens and parklands.
Density and age since disturbance
In 2019–20, about 84% (352,169ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in sparse and very sparse woody vegetation i.e. vegetation with less than 50% crown cover. A further 15% (62,665ha) of the clearing activity occurred in mid-dense woody vegetation (i.e. 50–80% crown cover). The remaining ~1% (3,793ha) of clearing occurred in dense woody vegetation.
Clearing activity—density 2019–20
Area of clearing activity for density classes of woody vegetation.
Density classes are as follows:
- Dense vegetation has a Foliage Projective Cover (FPC) of 70–100% (>80% crown cover)
- Mid-dense has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
- N/A density class refers to small areas that have not been assigned a density class due to cloud or other contamination in the satellite imagery.
Based on estimates of woody vegetation age since disturbance (refer to note), about 52% (216,335ha) of the total clearing activity in 2019–20 occurred in vegetation greater than 15 years old and about 77% (166,207ha) of this occurred in sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. About 34% (141,044ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in vegetation with an age since disturbance of less than 15 years, and most of this (93% or 130,553ha) occurred in sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. About 15% of the clearing activity (61,279ha) occurred in woody vegetation where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined. These are areas where there is no known clearing history and/or time-series methods were unable to reliably detect a disturbance and regrowth trend that was sufficient to assign an age estimate.
Clearing activity—age since disturbance 2019–20
Area of clearing activity for age since disturbance classes (refer to note).
An age since disturbance of N/A refers to those areas where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined from SLATS clearing histories and/or time-series analysis of historical satellite imagery.
Clearing activity—age since disturbance and density 2019–20
Area of clearing activity by density and age since disturbance classes.
An age since disturbance of N/A refers to those areas where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined from SLATS clearing histories and/or time-series analysis of historical satellite imagery.
Density classes are as follows:
- Dense vegetation has a Foliage Projective Cover (FPC) of 70–100% (>80% crown cover)
- Mid-dense has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
- N/A density class refers to small areas that have not been assigned a density class due to cloud or other contamination in the satellite imagery.
In 2019–20, about 83% (35,341ha) of the regrowth mapped was categorised as sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. A further 17% (7,179ha) of the regrowth mapped was categorised as mid-dense woody vegetation and <1% (54ha) as dense woody vegetation. Of the 42,575ha of new regrowth mapped in 2019–20, 74% (31,636ha) was estimated to be less than 15 years old. A further 20% (8,503ha) of the new regrowth mapped was estimated to be greater than 15 years old, while the remaining 6% (2,436ha) was in areas where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined. Most of the new regrowth that is estimated to be greater than 15 years old was categorised as sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. These areas are likely to have been previously excluded from the 2018 woody extent baseline as they may not have been readily detectable in the satellite imagery used at the time and are now able to be reliably detected and mapped due to additional data in the time series or availability of other new imagery.
Regrowth—density 2019–20
Area of new regrowth for density classes of woody vegetation.
Density classes are as follows:
- Dense vegetation has a Foliage Projective Cover (FPC) of 70–100% (>80% crown cover)
- Mid-dense has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
Regrowth—age since disturbance 2019–20
Area of new regrowth for age since disturbance classes (refer to note).
Regrowth—age since disturbance and density 2019–20
Area of new regrowth by density and age since disturbance classes.
An age since disturbance of N/A refers to those areas where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined from SLATS clearing histories and/or time-series analysis of historical satellite imagery.
Density classes are as follows:
- Dense vegetation has a Foliage Projective Cover (FPC) of 70–100% (>80% crown cover)
- Mid-dense has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
Note: Since the release of the 2018–19 SLATS Report, the methods for estimating the age since disturbance of woody vegetation have been refined. Estimates reported in the 2019–20 SLATS Report are based on revised and updated data relating to time since cleared derived from SLATS clearing histories, and time-series analysis of over 30 years of Landsat satellite imagery aimed at detecting woody vegetation disturbance and regrowth. The age since disturbance estimates use the time-series information where sufficient evidence is available to assign a valid estimate of how long the woody vegetation has been regrowing following a disturbance event. For more information on how the age estimates are derived, refer to the SLATS methodology. As a result of refining the methods for estimating the age since disturbance, the 2018–19 data has also been revised. Note that the 2018–19 SLATS Report has not been revised using these new data. It is also important to note that woody vegetation that is greater than 15 years is not always considered to be remnant or high-value regrowth as additional criteria such as species composition and vegetation height are used to determine remnant or high-value regrowth status. This is determined by the Queensland Herbarium as part of the regional ecosystem mapping framework.
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