Native vegetation location risk
map
Fact sheet
What is the risk-based approach for applications
for a permit to remove native vegetation?
The native vegetation permitted clearing regulations are
designed to manage the risk to biodiversity associated with
removing native vegetation. Two factors – extent risk and
location risk – are used to determine the risk-based pathway
of an application for a permit to remove native vegetation.
The risk-based pathway determines the process for how a
permit application is assessed, including the application
requirements and the decision guidelines that are applied.
How is location risk determined?
Location risk is determined by assessing the likelihood that
removing a small amount of native vegetation at a location
could have a significant impact on the habitat of a rare or
threatened species. The Native vegetation location risk map
divides the state into three categories of location risk
(Location A, Location B and Location C).
How is the Native vegetation location risk map
used in the permitted clearing regulations?
Location risk alone does not determine the risk-based
pathway of an application for a permit to remove native
vegetation. The risk-based pathway is determined by
combining the location risk with the extent risk of a proposal
to remove native vegetation. Extent risk is determined by
extent of native vegetation to be removed; the area of a
patch or the number of scattered trees. See Permitted
clearing of native vegetation – Biodiversity assessment
guidelines for more details at
www.depi.vic.gov.au/nativevegetation
How has the Native vegetation location risk map
been created?
Factors that are used to develop the Native vegetation
location risk map include the suitability of a location as
habitat for a rare or threatened species, and the rarity and
level of depletion of the total habitat for those species. The
Native vegetation location risk map has been created by
combining information from Habitat importance maps for rare
or threatened species. For every location on the Native
vegetation location risk map, the proportional impact on each
species habitat from clearing vegetation at that location has
been calculated. As the proportional impact on one or more
species increases the location risk increases.
What do the location risk categories on the Native
vegetation location risk map represent?
The location risk categories on the Native vegetation location
risk map reflect how likely a small amount of clearing in a
particular location is to have a significant proportional impact
on the habitat for rare or threatened species.
A small amount of clearing in Location C is most likely to
have a significant proportional impact on the habitat of rare
or threatened species. Location C includes highly localised
habitats, which are habitats for rare or threatened species
that are less than 2,000 hectares in area. Location B includes
rare or threatened species’ habitats that are not highly
localised but are relatively restricted in their extent.
Location A consists of areas where a small amount of
clearing is unlikely to have a significant proportional impact
on the habitat for rare or threatened species. However, larger
amounts of clearing (greater than 1 hectare) within Location
A could have significant proportional impacts on habitat for
rare or threatened species.
Will the Native vegetation location risk map
change over time?
Periodic revisions of the Native vegetation location risk map
will occur. Improvements in data and methods will enhance
Habitat importance maps for rare or threatened species,
which are inputs to the Native vegetation location risk map.
Revisions to the Native vegetation extent map may also
trigger the need to update species habitat importance models
to account for these changes.