Land systems, soils and vegetation survey of the southern Goldfields and Great Western Woodlands of Western Australia

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

6-2025

Conference Title

XII International Rangeland Congress 2025: Working Together for our Global Rangelands Future

Place of Publication

Adelaide

ISBN

978-0-646-72121-7

Keywords

Ecology, Erosion, Geomorphology, Habitat, Soil science, Nature markets

Disciplines

Agricultural Science | Environmental Monitoring | Natural Resources and Conservation | Soil Science

Abstract

The southern Goldfields region is ecologically significant as it closely aligns with the Great Western Woodlands– the world’s largest intact Mediterranean-climate woodland ecosystem, dominated by Eucalyptus species and encompassing diverse mosaics of woodlands, mallee, shrubland, and grassland. The region has been subjected to significant ecological perturbations since European colonisation. Despite multiple land-use pressures on a unique environment, the region is the last large area in Western Australia (WA) to be comprehensively surveyed for biophysical resource condition to promote sustainable use.

This survey presents a comprehensive assessment of the biophysical environment of WA's southern Goldfields region, covering 151,753 km². The survey maps land systems and refines soil-landscape zones at 1:250,000 scale. The accompanying report describes the geomorphology, soils and vegetation, offering new insights and revisions to existing physiographic data.

The survey advances prior studies by refining mapping in alignment with WA and national standards, thereby providing consistency in data presentation and analysis across regional and national scales and complementing the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia. This survey’s integration into WA’s hierarchical soil landscape mapping system enables data describing the southern Goldfields to be interpreted within broader regional, statewide, and national contexts.

Key contributions are:

  1. complete biophysical mapping that meets national and state standards
  2. a multidisciplinary explanation of key aspects of landscape evolution
  3. revised physiographic mapping that reveals patterns of erosion, deposition, and landscape maturity
  4. defining 101 land systems and 88 habitat types that summarise key elements of landform, geology, geomorphology, soil and vegetation characteristics.

The survey’s hierarchical mapping framework and associated biophysical information provides comprehensive baseline data and improves understanding of the region’s ecological processes and environmental pressures. It thus constitutes a valuable resource for agencies, companies, and individuals involved in strategic land-use planning, land management, monitoring, conservation and rehabilitation, and the sustainable use of rangeland habitats across the southern Goldfields region.

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