2022–23 SLATS Report
Statewide breakdown
Key findings—clearing activity
- Clearing activity in Category X areas accounted for 77% (254,647ha) of the total clearing activity in Queensland, a similar figure to 2021–22 (252,538ha). Most of this resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation (231,435ha or 91% of all Category X clearing activity).
- About 21% (70,799ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category B (remnant) areas—an 8% increase from 2021–22 (65,776ha). Half of this Category B clearing activity (50% or 35,328ha) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation.
- About 1% (4,728ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category C (high-value regrowth vegetation), a 30% increase from 2021–22 (3,624ha). Less than 1% (1,725ha) was in Category R (regrowth watercourse area), a similar figure to 2021–22 (1,607ha).
- About 1% (3,040ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in areas that have endangered regional ecosystems present, a 21% increase from 2021–22 (2,508ha). About 4% (12,786ha) of the clearing activity was in areas that have of concern regional ecosystems, and 18% (59,125ha) was in areas that have least concern regional ecosystems present, both increases from 2021–22.
- Of the state’s 13 bioregions, the Brigalow Belt (49% or 161,082ha) and Mulga Lands (22% or 73,883ha) together accounted for nearly three-quarters (71%) of the state’s woody vegetation clearing activity. This is consistent with the past three SLATS reports.
- Clearing activity in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment areas accounted for 44% (147,705ha) of the state’s total clearing. This is a slight increase from 2021–22 (143,683ha). About 76% (112,478ha) of the clearing activity in GBR catchments resulted in the full removal of the woody vegetation.
- About 86% (283,918ha) of the statewide clearing activity was attributed to the pasture landcover replacement class. Of this, about 88% was full clearing. A further 6% (18,930ha) of the clearing activity was attributed to forestry. Mine activity resulted in around 2% (6,638ha) of the state’s clearing activity, while infrastructure (2,879ha), crop (2,668ha) and settlement (1,470ha) landcover replacement classes contributed less than 1% each to the state’s total clearing activity.
- About 83% (273,929ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in sparse or very sparse woody vegetation (i.e. vegetation with less than 50% crown cover). A further 17% (54,901ha) of the clearing activity occurred in mid-dense vegetation (i.e. 50–80% crown cover) which is about double the amount of clearing activity in mid-dense vegetation from 2021-22 (27,622ha).
- About 67% (221,728ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in vegetation estimated to be greater than 15 years old (refer to note). About 28% (92,311ha) of the total clearing occurred in vegetation that was estimated to be less than 15 years old. The remainder (about 5% or 17,976ha) occurred in woody vegetation where a valid ‘age since disturbance’ estimate could not be determined.
- About 66% (220,070ha) of the clearing activity is estimated to be in woody vegetation less than 5 metres (m) in height, while about 8% (26,877ha) was in vegetation between 5-10m high. A further 26% was in vegetation greater than 10m high.
Key findings—regrowth
- Of the state’s 13 bioregions, the Brigalow Belt bioregion had the greatest area of new regrowth mapped, contributing 53% (44,645ha) to the state’s total. The Mulga Lands bioregion had the next greatest area of new regrowth mapped, contributing about 18% (15,096ha) to the state’s total.
- About 89% (75,431ha) of the new regrowth mapped was attributed to the pasture landcover class, and about 7% (5,945ha) attributed to forestry. New regrowth associated with the mine (1,758ha) and crop (1,401ha) landcover classes contributed about 2% each to the area of new regrowth mapped in 2022–23. New regrowth for mine is typically associated with mine rehabilitation areas, while for crop, it is new tree crops.
- Of the new regrowth mapped, about 90% (76,371ha) was categorised as either sparse or very sparse woody vegetation, and 10% (8,267ha) as mid-dense or dense woody vegetation.
- Based on estimates of woody vegetation ‘age since disturbance’ (refer to note), 71% (60,344ha) of the new regrowth mapped was estimated to be less than 15 years old and around 26% (22,132ha) was estimated to be older than 15 years. A small proportion of the regrowth mapped (2,172ha) was not able to be assigned a valid age estimate.
Regulated vegetation management map categories
Clearing activity in Category X areas accounted for 77% (254,647ha) of the total clearing activity—a similar figure to 2021–22 (252,538ha). About 91% (231,435ha) of this clearing activity resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation. Half of the Category X clearing activity was in the Brigalow Belt bioregion (50% or 126,902ha) with a further 25% (63,739ha) occurring in the Mulga Lands bioregion. The Desert Uplands and Southeast Queensland bioregions each contributed to around 8% of the clearing activity in Category X (20,546ha and 20,121ha, respectively).
About 21% (70,799ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category B (regulated remnant) areas. This represents an 8% increase in clearing activity in Category B areas from 2021–22 (65,776ha). The Brigalow Belt (43% or 30,728ha), Mitchell Grass Downs (15% or 10,582ha) and Mulga Lands (14% or 9,742ha) bioregions had the highest areas of clearing activity in Category B areas, accounting for 72% of the clearing activity in Category B. Both the Brigalow Belt and the Mulga Lands bioregions recorded an increase in clearing activity in Category B areas from 2021–22 (increases of 19% and 30%, respectively), while the Mitchell Grass Downs recorded a 32% decrease.
The remaining proportion of Category B clearing activity occurred predominantly in the Einasleigh Uplands (9% or 6,506ha), Southeast Queensland (7% or 4,793) and Desert Uplands (5% or 3,369) bioregions. The Einasleigh Uplands and Southeast Queensland bioregions both recorded a significant increase in Category B clearing activity, each having more than doubled the area recorded for the 2021–22 monitoring period. For Southeast Queensland, this was due to a combination of forestry and pasture activities, while in the Einasleigh it was mostly for the latter.
Of the clearing activity in Category B areas across the state, 50% (35,327ha) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation with most of this attributed to pasture (29,283ha) but some areas were due to mine (3,541ha) and infrastructure (1,699ha) activities. The remainder of the Category B clearing activity was distributed between areas that were partially cleared with a major level of disturbance (33% or 23,634ha) due to forestry and pasture activities, or partially cleared with a minor level of disturbance (17% or 11,836ha).
About 1% (4,728ha) of the statewide clearing activity was in Category C (high-value regrowth vegetation)—a 30% increase from 2021–22 (3,624ha). Less than 1% (1,725ha) of the state’s clearing activity was in areas that intersect with Category R (regrowth watercourse area)— a similar figure to 2021–22 (1,607ha).
Clearing activity—regulated vegetation management map category 2022–23
Area of clearing activity in regulated vegetation management map categories in 2022–23.
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
About 18% (59,125ha) of the clearing activity was in areas that contained least concern regional ecosystems—a slight increase from 2021–22 (57,678ha). About 3% (12,786ha) of the clearing was in areas identified as having of concern regional ecosystems—a 29% increase from 2021–22 (9,924ha). Less than 1% (3,040ha) of the clearing was in areas which have endangered regional ecosystems present—a 21% increase from 2021–22 (2,508ha). The majority of this (65% or 1,982ha) was in the Brigalow Belt bioregion and around three-quarters (1,438ha) was full clearing. The remaining 77% (257,064ha) was in areas with no vegetation management class.
It is important to note that SLATS reporting applies the precautionary principle, 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 2022–23
Area of clearing activity in vegetation management classes in 2022–23.
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 (49% or 161,082ha) and Mulga Lands (22% or 73,883ha) accounted for nearly three-quarters (71%) of the state’s woody vegetation clearing activity. For the Brigalow Belt, this was a 7% decrease from 2021–22 (173,295ha) while for the Mulga Lands it was a 39% increase (53,345ha in 2021–22). About 78% of the clearing activity in the Brigalow Belt and about 96% in the Mulga Lands resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation. Most of the clearing activity in these two bioregions was in Category X areas, accounting for 79% (126,902ha) of the clearing in the Brigalow Belt and 86% (63,739ha) in the Mulga Lands.
Clearing activity in the Mitchell Grass Downs was 8% of the statewide total (25,310ha), Southeast Queensland was also about 8% (26,658ha), and Desert Uplands was 7% (24,039ha). Both Southeast Queensland and the Desert Uplands recorded an increase in clearing activity from 2021–22 of 48% and 58%, respectively, mostly in Category X areas. Mitchell Grass Downs recorded a decrease in clearing activity of around 36%, when compared with 2021–22 (39,720ha).
Clearing activity—bioregion 2022–23
Area of clearing activity in bioregions in 2022–23.
The Brigalow Belt bioregion had the greatest area of new regrowth mapped, contributing 44,645ha (about 53%) to the state’s total of 84,649ha. The Mulga Lands bioregion had the next greatest area of new regrowth mapped, contributing about 15,096ha (about 18%) to the state’s total. The remaining proportion of new regrowth mapped occurred predominantly in Southeast Queensland (accounting for 8% or 6,992ha), Desert Uplands (7% or 5,654ha), and Gulf Plains (6% or 4,850) bioregions.
Regrowth—bioregion 2022–23
Area of new regrowth in bioregions in 2022–23.
- Regrowth includes new woody vegetation areas which have regrown sufficiently to be reliably added to the SLATS woody extent.
For further detailed breakdowns for each of the bioregions see breakdowns by bioregion.
Great Barrier Reef catchments
Clearing activity in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment areas accounted for 44% (147,705ha) of the state’s total clearing—this is a slight increase from 2021–22 (143,683ha). About 83% (122,979ha) of this was for pasture, with a further 7% (10,424ha) and 3% (4,780) for forestry and mine, respectively.
About 76% (112,478ha) of the clearing in GBR catchments in 2022–23 resulted in the full removal of the woody vegetation.
Clearing activity in Great Barrier Reef catchments 2018–19 to 2022–23
Area of clearing activity in Great Barrier Reef catchments from 2018–19 to 2022–23.
In 2022–23, about 48% (40,527ha) of the new regrowth mapped in the state was in GBR catchments. This was a significant increase in the area of new regrowth mapped in the GBR compared with 2021–22 (14,529ha). Most of this new regrowth in GBR catchments (about 86% or 34,787ha) was in areas associated with grazing and related land management practices (i.e. pasture).
Regrowth in Great Barrier Reef catchments 2019–20 to 2022–23
Area of new regrowth in Great Barrier Reef catchments from 2019–20 to 2022–23.
- Regrowth includes 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 2022–23, 86% (283,918ha) of the clearing activity was attributed to the pasture landcover replacement class— a similar result to 2021–22 (286,108ha) for this class. Of this, about 88% (250,777ha) was full clearing. A further 6% (18,930ha) of the clearing activity was attributed to forestry, 2% to mine (6,638ha), and about 1% to crop (2,668ha).
Clearing activity—landcover replacement class 2022–23
Area of clearing activity in landcover replacement classes in 2022–23.
The landcover replacement class is determined as part of the SLATS mapping process. It provides an indication of the purpose for which the vegetation was cleared. Read more about this in 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 and powerlines.
- 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 89% (75,431ha) of the 84,649ha of new regrowth mapped for the state was attributed to the pasture landcover class, and about 7% (5,945ha) was attributed to forestry. A further 2% each was from crop (1,401ha) and mine (1,758ha) areas. Due to the difficulty of differentiating between native and non-native woody vegetation using satellite imagery, non-native woody vegetation change is also included in SLATS change mapping and therefore may be contributing to new regrowth areas. This may include exotic pine plantations, orchards or invasive exotic woody weeds.
Regrowth—landcover class 2022–23
Area of new regrowth in landcover replacement classes in 2022–23.
The landcover class is determined as part of the SLATS mapping process. 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 and powerlines.
- Settlement is new regrowth in urban areas and can include gardens and parklands.
Density and age since disturbance
In 2022–23, about 83% (273,929ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in sparse and very sparse woody vegetation (i.e. vegetation with less than 50% crown cover). This is reflective of a large proportion of the state’s clearing activity occurring in rangeland ecosystems within the Brigalow Belt, Mulga Lands, Mitchell Grass Downs, Desert Uplands bioregions, and parts of Southeast Queensland, which are characterised by scattered trees and shrubs, open woodlands, woodlands and shrublands. A further 17% (54,901ha) of the clearing activity occurred in mid-dense woody vegetation (i.e. 50–80% crown cover). Around 1% of the total clearing occurred in dense woody vegetation (3,139ha).
Clearing activity—density 2022–23
Area of clearing activity for density classes.
Density classes are as follows:
- Dense vegetation has a Foliage Projective Cover (FPC) of 70–100% (>80% crown cover)
- Mid-dense vegetation has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse vegetation has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated vegetation has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
- NDC (i.e. no 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 67% (221,728ha) of the total clearing activity in 2022–23 occurred in vegetation greater than 15 years old, and about 78% (172,544ha) of this occurred in sparse or very sparse woody vegetation.
About 28% (92,311ha) of the total clearing activity occurred in vegetation with an age since disturbance of less than 15 years, and most of this (93% or 85,438ha) occurred in sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. About 5% (17,976ha) of the clearing activity occurred in woody vegetation where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined.
Clearing activity—age since disturbance 2022–23
Area of clearing activity for age since disturbance classes (refer to note).
An age since disturbance of NASD (i.e. no age since disturbance) 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—density and age since disturbance 2022–23
Area of clearing activity for density and age since disturbance classes.
An age since disturbance of NASD (i.e. no age since disturbance) 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 vegetation has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse vegetation has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated vegetation has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
- NDC (i.e. no density class) refers to small areas that have not been assigned a density class due to cloud or other contamination in the satellite imagery.
About 90% (76,371ha) of the 84,649ha of new regrowth mapped was categorised as sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. A further 10% (8,154ha) was categorised as mid-dense woody vegetation and around 1% (3,139ha) was in dense woody vegetation.
Of the 84,649ha of new regrowth mapped, around 71% (60,344ha) was estimated to be less than 15 years old and 90% (54,148ha) of this was categorised as sparse or very sparse woody vegetation.
A further 29% (24,305ha) of the new regrowth mapped was estimated to be greater than 15 years old and about 92% of this was categorised as sparse or very sparse woody vegetation. Less than 1% (2,172ha) of new regrowth mapped was in areas where a valid age since disturbance estimate could not be determined.
Regrowth—density 2022–23
Area of new regrowth for density classes.
Density classes are as follows:
- Dense vegetation has a Foliage Projective Cover (FPC) of 70–100% (>80% crown cover)
- Mid-dense vegetation has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse vegetation has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated vegetation has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
- NDC (i.e. no density class) refers to small areas that have not been assigned a density class due to cloud or other contamination in the satellite imagery.
Regrowth—age since disturbance 2022–23
Area of new regrowth for age since disturbance classes (refer to note).
An age since disturbance of NASD (i.e. no age since disturbance) 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.
Regrowth—density and age since disturbance 2022–23
Area of new regrowth for density and age since disturbance classes.
An age since disturbance of NASD (i.e. no age since disturbance) 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 vegetation has a FPC of 30–70% (50–80% crown cover)
- Sparse vegetation has a FPC of 10–30% (20–50% crown cover)
- Very sparse/isolated vegetation has a FPC of <10% (0.25–20% crown cover)
- NDC (i.e. no density class) refers to small areas that have not been assigned a density class due to cloud or other contamination in the satellite imagery.
Height
In 2022–23, about 66% (220,070ha) of the clearing activity is estimated to be in woody vegetation less than 5 metres (m) in height. Most of this was in bioregions characterised by larger areas of low regrowth, or low shrubland and woodland ecosystems such as the Brigalow Belt, Mulga Lands, Desert Uplands and Mitchell Grass Downs. About 8% (26,877ha) of the clearing activity was in vegetation between 5–10m high with most of this in the Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands. A further 26% (84,953ha) was in vegetation greater than 10m high, with Southeast Queensland (23,094ha) and the Brigalow Belt (48,306ha) making up 84% of this class, combined.
The vegetation height information used here is derived from the 2020, 10m spatial resolution global canopy height data set published by Lang et al. (2023).
Clearing activity—height 2022–23
Area of clearing activity for height classes.
Height classes are adapted from Scarth et al. (2019) and are as follows:
- 0–5m (heath, shrublands and low woodlands)
- 5–10m (tall shrublands, low woodlands and low forests)
- 10–30m (woodlands and forests)
- >30m (tall woodlands and tall forests)
- NHC (i.e. no height class) refers to small areas that have not been assigned a density class due to no data being available for that location in the Lang et al. (2023) data set.
Note: Since the release of 2018–19 SLATS report, the methods for estimating the age since disturbance of woody vegetation have been revised and the spatial data has been updated for all years from 2018 onwards. It is important to note that the 2018 SLATS woody vegetation extent baseline report and the 2018–19 SLATS report remain as published at the time; age since disturbance figures in those reports are based on an earlier version of the age since disturbance data. For more information on how the age since disturbance estimates are derived, refer to the SLATS methodology.
References: Lang, N., Jetz, W., Schindler, K. and Wegner, J.D. (2023). A high-resolution canopy height model of the Earth. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7, 1778–1789. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02206-6
Scarth, P., Armston, J., Lucas, R., & Bunting, P. (2019). A Structural Classification of Australian Vegetation Using ICESat/GLAS, ALOS PALSAR, and Landsat Sensor Data. Remote Sensing, 11(2), 147. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11020147
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