2016 SoE Heritage Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA), Version 7 (Regions)

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) version 7.0 represents a landscape based approach to classifying the land surface of Australia. 89 biogeographic regions and 419 sub regions have been delineated, each reflecting a unifying set of major environmental influences which shape the occurrence of flora and fauna and their interaction with the physical environment across Australia and its external territories (excluding Antarctica). IBRA Version 7.0 data consists of two datasets. IBRA bioregions, which is a larger scale regional classification of homogenous ecosystems, and sub regions, which are more localised. IBRA Version 7.0 is the result of both significant changes to certain IBRA 6.1 boundaries, plus refinement of other boundaries due to better data availability amongst some states and territories, and alterations by the states/territories along state borders. The updated boundaries were jointly defined by the Commonwealth, State and Territory nature and conservation agencies. In this respect refinements were carried out to all mainland jurisdictions with significant changes in Queensland and South Australia. In addition the dataset was also updated to more closely conform to the Geoscience Australia 1:100K State borders, and a standard coding/naming convention introduced (for both regions and sub-regions) resulting in differences to both names and codes used in earlier IBRA Versions. Various sources were used to delineate islands - these included the GA100K Admin layer plus the Australian Maritime Boundaries dataset, a Coral Sea dataset (held in ERIN) and the GA Commonwealth Fisheries 2006 dataset.

Credit: SA: Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); WA: Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC); NT: Department of Natural Resources, Environment, The Arts and Sport (NRETAS); NSW: Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH); Vic: Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE); Tas: Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE); QLD: On 30 March 2012 the Queensland Government announced machinery-of-government changes for departments. The functions of the former Department of Environment and Resource Management will now be delivered by the following departments: Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing, Department of Energy and Water Supply, Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts

Data used to produce figure HER10 in the heritage theme of the 2016 State of the Environment report - see https://soe.environment.gov.au/

Data viewable in National Map here; https://soe.terria.io/#share=s-wOs7nFlSbTXTIZC96UXjuaoLcp1

Downloadable spatial data also available below.