Essential habitat, which is vegetation in which a species that is endangered, vulnerable, rare or near threatened has been known to occur, is mapped by the Environmental Protection Agency.

To fulfil its obligation under the Vegetation Management Act 1999 to regulate vegetation clearing in such a way as to prevent the loss of biodiversity, NRW uses these essential habitat maps to help determine the habitat status of the vegetation when assessing applications to clear. 

However, if land is mapped as essential habitat, it does not necessarily mean that native vegetation on it cannot be cleared for a relevant purpose.

Assessment of essential habitat

In the performance requirements of the codes, the biological and/or non-biological habitat requirements of a species are covered by specifying essential habitat factors. These can include, but are not limited to:

• vegetation—the species or types of vegetation that the species is associated with
• regional ecosystem—the regional ecosystem(s) with which the species is most commonly associated
• land zone—the underlying geology associated with a regional ecosystem. See the EPA website for further information on land zones
• altitude—the range of altitudes at which the species is found
• soils—the type of soil on which a species is most commonly found
• position in landscape—a precise description of the landscape features the species is commonly associated with (e.g. creek bank, levees, lower slopes, hillsides and ridges).

At least three essential habitat factors are listed for each species, of which one or more may be categorised as mandatory. 

As with all performance requirements in the code, landholders can meet the essential habitat performance requirement by adopting the acceptable solution, or by providing another solution that meets the performance requirement. 

With the codes, applicants can propose an alternative solution to the performance requirement, but must prove that:

• less than three of the essential habitat factors, including any mandatory factor(s), apply to the application area; and 
• the species at any stage of its/their life cycle does/do not occur within the application area. 

The following example illustrates how the essential habitat performance requirement, acceptable solution and factors are applied.

Example

An extract of the essential habitat map is provided below, and the species to which the essential habitat (hatched shading) relates is Acacia chinchillensis. 

An applicant who wants to clear inside the essential habitat area and cannot meet the performance requirement's acceptable solution can propose an alternative solution. In this case, they would have to prove that Acacia chinchillensis does not grow in the proposed clearing area, and that at least three of the listed essential habitat factors do not apply to the area.

Or, if A. chinchillensis does grow in the area, demonstrate how they would maintain the extent of the species by offsetting, propagation etc.

The essential habitat factors for Acacia chinchillensis are: 

• Vegetation: Eucalyptus crebra, Callitris glaucophylla, Allocasuarina luehmannii woodland to open forest or Callitris glaucophylla, Allocasuarina luehmannii open forest
• Regional ecosystem(s): 11.5.1; 11.5.20 or 11.5.21
• Altitude: 300—400 metres
• Soils: tenosols, kandosols or deep sandy-surfaced sodosols and chromosols.
• Position in landscape: flat to gently undulating plain.

Therefore, if the application area:

• is in Callitris spp. woodland
• is in regional ecosystem 11.3.5
• is at an altitude of 200 metres
• is on dermosols
• is on a gently undulating plain; and
• does not contain Acacia chinchillensis

the factors are not present, the solution would meet the essential habitat performance requirement, and clearing is permitted.

However, if the application area is:

• in regional ecosystem 11.5.21
• on deep sandy-surfaced chromosols; and
• on a flat plain

the essential habitat factors are present, the solution would not meet the performance requirement, and clearing is not permitted.

Regional ecosystem maps showing essential habitat are available free of charge from the EPA website.