Vegetation Complexes - South West forest region of Western Australia (DBCA-047)

Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) - Vegetation Complexes - SWF50k

The dataset is a comprehensive coverage of pre-1750 distribution of vegetation complexes of the south west forest region of Western Australia. This 1:50,000 mapping was undertaken by Mattiske and Havel (1998) as part of the biodiversity assessment for the comprehensive regional assessment for the south west forest region. The outputs from this project were used as inputs to the assessments of national estate, ecologically sustainable forest management, endangered species and the integration of all these values in the 1999 Regional Forest Agreement (RFA). This dataset covers the full extent mapped by Mattiske and Havel (1998) not just the area within the RFA boundary. In March 2015 the dataset was reviewed to correct known and documented minor attributing errors and additional fields were incorporated including a unique numerical identifier (SWFor_ID).

Webb et al. (2016) reviewed the 1:50,000 mapping of the Whicher Scarp and changes were made to ensure the complexes were a continuation of those defined by Mattiske and Havel (1998) and the extent of the landform correlated to that as defined by soil-landscape mapping (DAFWA 2007). In addition the review consolidated the boundaries along the Whicher and Darling Scarp interface with the Swan Coastal Plain. All Swan Coastal Plain complexes were removed and incorporated into the 2016 mapping of the “Swan Coastal Plain Vegetation Complexes” (Webb et al. 2016).