{"id":9178,"date":"2025-06-26T14:43:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T04:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/?p=9178"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T04:28:09","slug":"case-study-8-3-profiling-the-forgotten-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/case-study-8-3-profiling-the-forgotten-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Profiling the forgotten landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Creating vegetation profiles of the Northern Murrumbidgee Catchment within the South West Slopes Bioregion for better revegetation and restoration projects. https:\/\/revegetation.org.au<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The issue<\/h2>\n

The South West Slopes Bioregion, with only 16% native vegetation remaining, is one of Australia\u2019s most heavily cleared landscapes. In the late 1990s, the South West Slopes Revegetation Guide was created, hailed as the \u2018Bible\u2019 by landholders and industry professionals. The resource is compiled with detailed plant lists at the sub-catchment level breakdowns to simplify revegetation projects. However, a major portion of the northern Murrumbidgee Slopes, covering 22,770 square kilometres, were excluded due to intense clearing and cropping the void. This significant gap left a vast area without tailored revegetation guidance, presenting a critical issue for restoration efforts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The solution<\/h2>\n

The Landcare-led Landscape Resilience \u2013 tools and data for restoration project, a collaboration between Holbrook Landcare Network (HLN) and Murrumbidgee Landcare Incorporated (MLi), secured funding from the Federal Government\u2019s Future Drought Fund. This enabled revision and expansion of the South West Slopes Revegetation Guide, creating a lasting digital resource. MLi sifted through extensive data sets, consulted experts, and mobilised passionate locals to map 28 new sub-catchments to develop detailed vegetation profiles. The final product is a comprehensive, accessible digital tool that fills a critical gap, supporting effective restoration across the region with up-to-date, locally tailored information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The impact<\/h2>\n

The addition of 28 new sub-catchments with detailed vegetation profiles has greatly enhanced restoration efforts in the northern Murrumbidgee Slopes. These profiles provide locally specific plant lists tailored to each sub-catchment\u2019s conditions, enabling more effective and ecologically appropriate revegetation. This targeted approach improves biodiversity, stabilises soils, and supports riparian health, contributing to reduced erosion and better water quality. By filling a major knowledge gap, the new data empowers landholders and practitioners to undertake restoration with confidence, ultimately strengthening landscape resilience and ecological function across a previously neglected but vital area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Learnings<\/h2>\n

Creating vegetation profiles involves mapping major creek catchments and geosocial boundaries, then dividing the landscape into vertical zones\u2014rocky outcrops to floodplains\u2014each with reference sites for ideal outcomes. Plant lists feature readily available and ecologically important species rather than whole communities. Key indicator species help assess site condition, supporting targeted restoration and practical local action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Case study: Profiling the forgotten landscape<\/a><\/p>\n

LEP23_036_LLC8_3<\/p>\n

Author: Leigh Mathieson<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] Creating vegetation profiles of the Northern Murrumbidgee Catchment within the South West Slopes Bioregion for better revegetation and restoration projects. https:\/\/revegetation.org.au The issue The South West Slopes Bioregion, with only 16% native vegetation remaining, is one of Australia\u2019s most heavily cleared landscapes. In the late 1990s, the South West Slopes Revegetation Guide was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":11161,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","iawp_total_views":8,"footnotes":""},"categories":[341],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lep-case-studies","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9178"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11162,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9178\/revisions\/11162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mli.org.au\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}