Background
Remnant vegetation covers about 45% of the region, with most of this existing in public estate lands and a large proportion in State forest. Areas with very high biodiversity values within the region include the Fraser Island / Cooloola Coast, Cania Gorge, Bunya Mountains, Kinkuna / Woodgate, Bustard Bay, Bulburin, Conondale / Kilkivan range and the Burrum-Cherwell catchments. These areas have large tracts of relatively intact remnant vegetation, providing habitat for numerous threatened species and serving as major bastions for biodiversity.
The intrusion of threatening processes6 further threatens the condition and extent of terrestrial ecosystems. Unchecked threatening process6 incursions adversely alter ecosystem function, reduce primary industry productivity and profitability, and seriously limit the long-term sustainability of natural systems. They can increase the risk of fire, change the structure of vegetation, increase costs for infrastructure maintenance and reduce the amenity of recreation areas. The coupling of effective threatening process6 control with appropriate land management is critical to maintaining or improving terrestrial ecosystem function.The Burnett Mary region contains the State’s highest number of priority species requiring urgent attention through improved conservation practices. Communities under threat include semi-evergreen vine thicket, Brigalow, and littoral rainforest. Key threatening processes to biodiversity in the region are a result of ongoing reduction in the extent and condition of native habitat. Clearing for agriculture and the continuing demand for land for urban growth, particularly along the coast, continue to place pressure on an already fragmented natural environment.
Altered fire regimes have also been identified as a significant threat to priority native flora and fauna in the Burnett Mary Region. Examples include grassland decline in the Bunya Mountains associated with low fire frequency, and declining condition of rainforest boundaries caused by too frequent fire associated with invasive pasture grasses. Projected climate change scenarios raise the spectre of a more intense “fire weather future”, posing an overarching threat to the structural integrity of many of the region’s terrestrial ecosystems. Extended drought periods, reduced Spring rainfall and more frequent “fire weather” periods, overlain on the inherent temperature tolerances of species and ecosystems, will challenge the current extent, structure and integrity of terrestrial ecosystems.
Improving the condition and relative connectivity of our native vegetation and freshwater ecosystems is the best way to increase their resilience to long and short term environmental changes.
Asset Description
The following table identifies collections of like BVG’s, a detailed description of the constituent assets in Background paper – Plants and Animals.
Asset Codes | BVG Collection |
---|---|
TE 2a, TE 3a1, TE 3a2, TE 4a1, TE 4a2, TE 4b, TE 5a1, TE 5a2, TE 7a | Rainforests, Scrubs |
TE 8a, TE 8b1, TE 8b2 | Wet Eucalypt Open Forests |
TE 9a, TE 9f, TE 9g1, TE 9g2, TE 9h1, TE 9h2, TE 10a, TE 10b, TE 11a, TE 12a, TE 13c1, TE 13c2, TE 13d | Eastern Eucalypt Woodlands to Open Forests |
TE 16a1, TE 16a2, TE 16c | Eucalypt Open Forests To Woodlands on Floodplains |
TE 17a, TE 17b, TE 18a, TE 18b | Eucalypt Dry Woodlands on Inland Depositional Plains |
TE 20a | Callitris Woodlands – Open Forests |
TE 21ab, TE 22a | Melaleuca Open Woodlands on Depositional Plains |
TE 24a, TE 25a | Other Acacia Dominated Open Forests, Woodlands and Shrublands |
TE 28a, TE 28d, TE 28e, TE 29a, TE 29b, TE 32b | Other Coastal Communities or Heaths |
Potential Climate Futures
Note – the provisions derived from analysis of vegetation communities in this section have not considered Land Zone 2 vegetation types, those found on coastal dunes. Such systems are considered in the plan’s Coastal and Marine asset section.
Strategic Direction
Healthy vegetation communities (terrestrial and aquatic), associated landscape processes and habitat values are maintained across the region.

2020 Target (Extent)
PA1. The extent of the region’s vegetation communities will be maintained at the 2013 baseline.
Desired Outcome
Opportunities for linking and enlarging vegetation community fragments with larger habitat patches are pursued, to increase the extent of vegetation communities.
2020 Target (Diversity)
PA2. The diversity of vegetation communities will be maintained at 20134 levels and opportunities for sustaining species’ populations, particularly those that are threatened5, will be improved.
Desired Outcome
- No loss of regional biodiversity
- Survival prospects for threatened species and communities are improved
- Regeneration of “regrowth” areas to “remnant” status.
2020 Target (Landscape function)
PA3. Landscape function is enhanced through activities that address threatening processes6.
Desired Outcome
On-ground activities are implemented that address threats to the “health” of vegetation communities, including:
- fragmentation and small patch size of vegetation communities
- inappropriate fire regimes
- invasive, exotic species
- inappropriate land management systems.
5 Listed under NCA / EPBC or Regional Ecosystems scheduled as endangered or of concern under VMA
6 A process that threatens, or may threaten, the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community