Threatened ecological communities
Threatened ecological communities (TECs) are rare groups of plants, animals and other organisms interacting in a unique habitat. We completed a 3-year TEC mapping project to improve the recognition, management and regulation of TECs in native forestry areas in NSW.
A threatened ecological community (TEC) is the collective term for ecological communities (a naturally occurring group of native plants, animals and other organisms) that:
- interact in a unique habitat
- are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act).
There are 104 TECs listed under the BC Act.
An ecological community is considered threatened if there is a significant decline in its distribution or ecological function. This could include:
- a change in community structure or composition due to, for example, a species becoming extinct
- disruption of ecological processes as a result of disturbance
- invasion by exotic species such as weeds and feral animals
- habitat degradation or fragmentation due to, for example, clearing for development.
While some of the individual plants comprising a TEC may be common, their occurrence together in a specific community, or place in the landscape, leads to them being listed as a TEC. Many TECs are listed because they were once widespread but are now more limited due to urban and agricultural development. Other TECs are naturally rare.
TECs are important because of their unique combination of native biodiversity and vital habitat qualities, and for the ecosystem services they provide. Ecological communities
- provide natural management of clean air and water
- provide nutrients for the soil, protection against erosion and salinity, and a healthy environment for the group’s species
- contribute to the tourism and recreation industries and the productivity of farmlands and fisheries
- have strong cultural significance for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
TECs are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and any harm to TECs is prohibited during all forestry operations in NSW.
FCNSW are required to manage forestry operations on Crown land to ensure that TECs are not harmed. In private native forestry, the Private Native Forestry Code of Practice prohibits logging in, or disturbance of, TECs. As such, the 18 TECs mapped by the EPA continue to be unavailable for timber production. Most of these TECs have been unavailable for harvesting for over a decade.
The TEC mapping project was initiated by the EPA in consultation with FCNSW.
The project aimed to
- identify TECs most likely to be present in harvest areas and impacted on by forestry activities in state forests
- develop an agreed interpretation and methodology to identify, classify and map TECs in a defined study area
The project assessed 18 TECs across a coastal study area of 1.4 million hectares using
- extensive field surveys
- rigorous quantitative data analysis
- high resolution aerial photograph interpretation
For 13 TECs, high resolution operational maps were produced that describe their distribution in the state forest study area
For 3 TECs, indicative maps were produced from statistical models that predicted their distributions
Following a thorough assessment, a further 3 TECs were confirmed absent from the study area.
To download the spatial datasets, please visit the open data portal and search using the keyword `TEC'.
A covering report (PDF 1.3MB) and detailed technical reports for each TEC have been prepared to describe the assessment process, decision pathways and project findings.
|
TEC |
Operational map |
Indicative map |
Key |
Area (Ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Y |
|
N |
14,036 |
|
|
Y |
|
Y |
11,050 |
|
|
Riverflat eucalypt forest on floodplains (south) and (north) (PDF 6.3MB) |
Y |
|
Y (sth) |
4017 |
|
Y |
Y |
Y |
2936 |
|
|
Y |
|
N |
1792 |
|
|
N |
Y |
Y |
1535 |
|
|
Swamp sclerophyll forest on coastal floodplains (south and north) (PDF 4.1MB) |
|
|
Y (sth) |
1131 |
|
N |
Y |
Y |
980 |
|
|
Tablelands snow gum, black sallee, candlebark and ribbon gum grassy woodland (PDF 4.1MB) |
Y |
|
Y |
902 |
|
Y |
|
N |
683 |
|
|
Y |
|
Y (sth) |
284 |
|
|
Y |
|
N |
201 |
|
|
Y |
|
N |
99 |
|
|
Y |
|
N |
17 |
|
|
Y |
|
N |
0.5 |
|
|
absent |
|
N |
0 |
|
|
absent (Nth) |
|
N |
0 |
|
|
absent |
|
N |
0 |
1 confirmed absent from northern study area, southern rainforest mapping underway in southern study area
2 Grey box - grey gum wet sclerophyll forest TEC is mapped as indicative for a small part of its range
The TEC mapping project was funded by a Waste and Environment Levy Envelope grant and was administered by the NSW Environmental Trust.
All scientific, analytical, methodological and mapping aspects of the TEC mapping project were completed by the Office of Environment and Heritage Native Vegetation Information Science Branch. Independent specialist consultancies were also engaged to deliver key aspects of the work. The EPA convened a TEC Project Reference Panel of regional experts to provide technical input and support project delivery. Over the life of the project, there was ongoing engagement with the NSW Scientific Committee.
FCNSW and the EPA will use the maps to identify, protect and regulate TECs in state forests, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding (PDF 504KB).
The current IFOAs do not authorise any forestry operations in TECs. In undertaking forestry operations, FCNSW must still comply with the strict liability offences for harming TECs set in the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
TECs are often difficult to identify in the field, where they can be very similar to the surrounding forest. As the descriptions of TECs are complex and do not have mapped extents, both FCNSW and EPA have had significant challenges in accurately and consistently identifying and managing TECs to date.
The maps increase the certainty around the location of TECs and bring a much higher standard of transparency to the management and regulation of forestry in areas where TECs occur. Importantly, the maps will provide a robust and consistent evidence base for decision making, planning and regulation.
The project has improved understanding of scientific committee determinations and identification of TECs, and will lead to improved assistance and advice on identifying TECs on other tenures of land.
The project only assessed the location and extent of TECs in state forests. The EPA will consider expanding TEC mapping to private native forestry areas.
The NSW Government has replaced the IFOAs for the Upper North East, Lower North East, Southern and Eden regions with one Coastal IFOA. The TEC mapping informs the new positions in the Coastal IFPA for the protection of TECs.
As TECs have never been mapped before, their impact on timber availability has not been known by FCNSW. The NSW Government will now be able to quantify the impact of TEC’s on timber availability from the State forests estate. This mapping will enable future modelling of wood supply to reflect the improved understanding of where TECs occur and provide for better planning for the industry and improved conservation outcomes for TECs.
