Glossary
- Accretion
- An increase by natural growth or gradual external addition; growth in size or extent.
- Afforestation
- Planting trees to establish a new forest.
- Ambient air pollution
- A complex and dynamic mixture of thousands of specific air pollutants in the outdoor air, which can occur in gaseous or particulate form.
- Angiosperms
- A plant having its seeds enclosed in an ovary.
- Benthic
- Used to describe animals and plants that live on the floor of the sea or lakes.
- Biogenic emissions
- Emissions from natural sources, such as plants and trees.
- Bioregion
- An area of land that comprises broad landscape patterns that reflect major structural geologies and climate, as well as major floristic and faunal assemblages.
- Biota
- All the animal and plant life of a habitat or region, viewed collectively.
- Broad vegetation groups (BVG)
- Are a higher-level grouping of regional ecosystems and vegetation communities. BVGs provide an overview of vegetation across both the state and bioregions.
- Bunding
- Constructing an embankment or causeway.
- Calcification
- The deposition of lime or insoluble salts of calcium.
- Carbon monoxide
- Formed through incomplete combustion of fuels containing carbon.
- Chlorophyll-a concentration
- A measure of phytoplankton biomass in a water body; in coastal waters, it can reflect changes in river nutrient loads. In the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Guidelines, chlorophyll-a is used as a proxy for dissolved inorganic nitrogen.
- Clearing activity
- Full clearing refers to areas converted from woody to non-woody (i.e. less than 10% crown cover remains).
- Partial (major) clearing refers to areas where the woody vegetation has been significantly modified but remains woody (i.e. greater than 10% crown cover remains, but more than 50% of the area has been affected by the clearing).
- Partial (minor) clearing refers to areas where some modification of the woody vegetation has occurred, but it remains woody (i.e. greater than 10% crown cover remains, but less than 50% of the area has been affected by the clearing).
- Clearing activity – Landcover replacement classes
- Through the SLATS mapping process, the landcover replacement class for all clearing activity is determined. This provides an indication of the purpose for which the vegetation was cleared. Read more about this in the SLATS methodology.
Specific terminology used in this indicator includes:
- Land managed for livestock production (referred to as Pasture in figures) is a clearing activity associated with grazing and other general agricultural land management practices. This class includes clearing for pasture, internal property tracks, fence lines, fire breaks, or infrastructure associated with livestock production.
- Cropping is a clearing activity for cropping or horticulture.
- Forestry is clearing activity for timber harvesting in state or privately-owned native or exotic (e.g. pine) forests or plantations (where it can be reliably attributed using authoritative data or other ancillary data sources).
- Mining is clearing activity for mining activities (including coal seam gas infrastructure).
- Infrastructure is clearing activity for utilities such as roads, railways, water storage, pipelines and powerlines.
- Settlement is clearing activity for urban development.
- Coastal erosion
- Caused by waves, tidal currents, channel migration and sediment supply changes, is a natural feature of sandy coasts.
- Commercial and industrial waste
- Produced by business and commerce and includes waste from schools, restaurants, offices, retail and wholesale businesses and manufacturing industries.
- Construction and demolition waste
- Non-putrescible (non-rotting) waste arising from construction or demolition activity which may include materials such as brick, timber, concrete and steel.
- Contaminated soil
- Soil that contains hazardous materials (such as asbestos and hazardous chemicals).
- Controlled burning
- The controlled application of fire under specified environmental conditions to a predetermined area and at a planned time, intensity and rate to reduce bushfire danger.
- Coral bleaching
- The whitening of coral that occurs when the coral expels its zooxanthellae, algae that give it much of its colour and food.
- Core areas
- Represent remnant vegetation that is further than 100 metres from cleared areas, where there is less chance of weed invasion and feral animals.
- Country
- Traditional land with its embedded cultural values. Being on Country refers to being on traditional land.
- Crown-of-thorns starfish
- A native coral predator.
- Deforestation
- The permanent removal of forests or trees from a large area, usually for commercial purposes.
- Deposited sediment
- Sediment settling to the bottom and filling waterholes.
- Disjunct
- Disjointed, or separated.
- Drainage Division
- Divisions that are defined by major landscape features and climatic zones to form broad hydrological regions.
- Drought declaration
- An official acknowledgment by government that a shire, an area or individual grazing property is affected by poor seasonal conditions.
- Ecological connectivity
- The connection between ecosystems and habitats that allows wildlife to cross the landscape in search of food, shelter and suitable breeding sites.
- Ecological Processes
- The physical, chemical and biological processes on which life depends. Ecological processes include decomposition, plant matter production, nutrient cycling, and fluxes of nutrients and energy.
- Ecosystem
- A community of organisms interacting with one another and with the environment in which they live.
- Edge areas
- Represent remnant vegetation within 100 metres of cleared land, where ‘edge effects’ are greater and the condition of the remnant vegetation is generally lower.
- Effluent
- Liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or the sea.
- El Niño
- A climatic event occurring every 4 to 5 years characterised by a rapid warming of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, which causes a change in normal wind and current movements. This has far-reaching and often disastrous effects on the weather, e.g. causing drought on Australia's eastern coast.
- Endangered
- The definition of ‘endangered’ is defined in the Schedule of the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and prescribed in Part 5 - Wildlife and habitat conservation of the Act.
- Endangered regional ecosystems
- Are those where less than 10% of their pre-clearing extent remains.
- Endemic species
- Species of flora and fauna that exists only in one geographic region.
- Enteric fermentation
- Fermentation that takes place in the digestive systems of animals. In particular, animals such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels that have a large ‘fore-stomach’ within which microbial fermentation breaks down food into soluble products that can be utilised by the animal.
- Ephemeral stream
- A stream that flows only briefly during and following a period of rainfall in the immediate locality.
- Epicormic
- Refers to a shoot that arises from latent buds, like after a bushfire.
- Epiphyte
- A plant that grows on another but does not get food, water, or minerals from it.
- Estuarine wetlands
- Provide nurseries for many commercial fish species’ young and act as a protective buffer for the coastline from storm surges and cyclones.
- Evaporation rate
- Evaporation is the amount of water which evaporates from an open pan called a Class A evaporation pan. The rate of evaporation depends on factors such as cloudiness, air temperature and wind speed.
- Extinct
- The definition of ‘extinct’ is defined in the Schedule of the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and prescribed in Part 5 - Wildlife and habitat conservation of the Act.
- First Nations
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Floristics
- The type, number and distribution of plant species in a particular area.
- Forbland
- Land that is dominated by an herbaceous plant that is not a grass.
- Freshwater wetlands
- Improve water quality, provide water for stock and irrigation, and provide habitat for many dependent native species.
- Geomorphic
- Of, or relating to the figure of the earth, or resembling the earth in form.
- Geomorphology
- The branch of geology dealing with the characteristics, origin, and development of landforms.
- Germ plasm
- The undifferentiated cells that develop into the gonads.
- Global mean sea level
- The average level for the surface of the ocean, shows a long-term trend of permanent sea level rise.
- Ground cover
- The vegetation (living and dead), biological crusts and stone that are in contact with the soil surface.
- Gymnosperms
- Seed-producing plants i.e. conifers and cycads.
- Halocarbons
- Any chemical compound of the element carbon and 1 or more of the halogens (bromine, chlorine, fluorine, iodine).
- Heatwave
- 3 days or more of high maximum and minimum temperatures that are unusual for that location.
- Hot days
- Classed as days with maximum temperatures exceeding 35.0°C.
- Household waste (municipal solid)
- Waste that is generated by domestic activities and includes waste collected from households via kerbside services, from public place bins, or self-hauled by residents to council facilities.
- Hybrid
- The offspring of two animals or plants of different breeds, varieties, species, or genera. Hybridisation is the process of an animal or plant breeding with an individual of another species or variety.
- Hydrology
- The science of water on the land or underneath its surface, and its properties, laws, geographical distribution, etc.
- Illegal dumping
- Defined in Queensland as the unlawful depositing of 200 litres or more of waste.
- Industrial combustion
- The rapid oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels to generate large quantities of energy for use in industrial heating and melting processes.
- Inter-reefal
- The area between coral reefs, i.e. seabed habitats that are not part of the reef structure itself.
- Inter-tidal
- Between the high tide and low tide mark.
- La Niña
- A climatic event characterised by below-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, often associated with heavy rain on Australia's eastern coast.
- Lacustrine
- Lacustrine wetlands are large, open, water-dominated systems such as lakes.
- Landscape fragmentation
- The ‘breaking up’ of large areas of intact native vegetation.
- Littoral
- Relating to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean.
- Marine wetlands
- Include the area of ocean from the coastline to 6 metres below the lowest astronomical tide.
- Mean temperature
- The average temperature of the air during a given time period, usually a day, month, or year.
- Micrometre
- One-millionth of a metre. Symbol: μm
- Nitrogen dioxide
- Produced from high-temperature combustion processes. It is found in motor vehicle emissions and in industrial emissions from fossil fuel combustion (power stations).
- Non-remnant vegetation
- Vegetation in which the ecologically dominant stratum is composed of grasses and /or other non-woody vegetation.
- Obligate seeder
- A plant that can only regenerate after a bushfire from seed, i.e. its survival depends on seeds buried in the soil or encapsulated in woody fruits.
- Of concern regional ecosystems
- Are those where between 10% and 30% of their pre-clearing extent remains.
- Outstanding Universal Value
- Cultural and/or natural significance that is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.
- Ozone
- A major component of photochemical smog. It is not directly emitted to the atmosphere: it forms when oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in sunlight.
- Palustrine
- Palustrine wetlands include any inland freshwater wetland that lacks flowing water, and is non-tidal. These include inland marshes and swamps, as well as bogs, fens, tundra and floodplains.
- Pan evaporation
- A measurement that combines or integrates the effects of several climate elements: temperature, humidity, rainfall, drought dispersion, solar radiation, and wind. Evaporation is greatest on hot, windy, dry, sunny days; and is greatly reduced when clouds block the sun and when air is cool, calm, and humid.
- Particle pollution
- Particles emitted into the atmosphere which range in size from more than 50 micrometres (µm) in diameter to less than 1µm and can impact on health and amenity.
- Pathogen
- A disease-producing organism.
- Patch areas
- Represent isolated fragments of remnant vegetation less than 100 metres wide, that are most vulnerable to threatening processes and are likely to have impaired ecosystem functioning.
- Photochemical smog
- Smog formed in the atmosphere when precursor pollutants including nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) undergo reactions in sunlight to form smog, of which ozone is the principal component. The haze caused by photochemical smog can also reduce visibility.
- Physico-chemical
- The physical and chemical properties of substances.
- Point source
- A localised and stationary source of pollution.
- Precipitation
- Falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail.
- Pre-clearing vegetation
- The vegetation present before clearing.
- Protected areas
- Includes the following as listed under the Nature Conservation Act 1992:
- national parks
- national parks (scientific)
- national park (Cape York Aboriginal land)
- conservation parks
- resources reserve
- nature refuges.
- Ramsar Convention of wetlands
- An international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands, recognising the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.
- Reforestation
- Planting trees to re-establish a depleted forest.
- Refugial waterholes
- Enable resistance and resilience of aquatic populations in temporary systems, processes essential for vigour and long term viability, by providing habitat to ride out dry spells.
- Refugium (plural refugia)
- An area where an organism can survive during a period of unfavourable conditions.
- Relict
- A plant or animal species living in an environment that has changed from that which is typical for the species.
- Regional Ecosystem
- Refers to a vegetation community in a bioregion that is consistently associated with a particular combination of geology, landform and soil.
- Regional ecosystems ‘no concern at present’ or ‘least concern’
- Are those where more than 30% of their pre-clearing extent remain.
- Regrowth
- Regrowth areas are new woody vegetation areas that have regrown sufficiently to be added to the SLATS woody extent. This means the regrowth has 10% crown cover and stand area of at least >0.25ha and that it can be reliably identified and mapped using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Read more about this in the SLATS methodology. Note that SLATS did not report regrowth in 2018-19.
- Regulated waste
- Includes hazardous wastes listed in Schedule 7 of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2008. It includes asbestos, pesticides, a range of waste chemicals and chemical compounds, and other industrial wastes.
- Remnant vegetation
- Defined under the Vegetation Management Act 1999 and refers to vegetation that is:
- an endangered regional ecosystem, or
- of concern regional ecosystem, or
- least concern regional ecosystem.
- Riparian
- Of, relating to, or located on the banks of a river or stream. Rural land Areas that do not meet the criteria used to define Urban land which is that the area supports a ‘dense’ population (>100 km2) of more than 1,000 persons in total and has an identifiable town centre.
- Riverine
- Riverine wetlands are all wetlands and deepwater habitats within a channel. The channels can be naturally or artificially created, periodically or continuously contain moving water, or connecting two bodies of standing water. Riverine wetlands include rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, rivulets, canals, channels, watercourses and tributaries, and may connect to lacustrine, palustrine, and intertidal and subtidal wetlands.
- Rural Land in Extensive Use
- Rural land that has a “minor human population” density i.e. between 1 and 10 km2 and comprises large land parcels used for broadacre agriculture (such as grazing and dryland cropping) and forestry.
- Rural Land in Intensive Use
- Rural land that has a ‘substantial human population” density i.e. between 10 and 100 km2 and comprises smaller land parcels used for high input agriculture (such as irrigated cropping, horticulture, or intensive animal husbandry), or for decentralised industrial, commercial, or residential activities, built infrastructure or remote settlements.
- Rural Land Not Settled
- Rural land that has an “inconsequential human population” i.e. < 1 km2 and is used in a manner that minimises human impacts such as National Parks or Conservation Reserves.
- Rural Settlement
- Rural land that is permanently occupied by a dispersed (i.e. non-urban) human population. It may be used for agricultural, fisheries, mining, or other decentralised commercial/residential/support services.
- Scarred trees
- Trees that have had bark removed by Indigenous Australians for the creation of bark canoes, shelters, shields and containers, such as coolamons.
- Sea surface temperature (SST)
- Analyses of the temperature of the uppermost metre of the ocean, based on observations from both in-water instruments and satellites.
- Semi-arid
- Being appreciably dry but not as dry as arid regions.
- Siltation
- Earthy matter or fine sand carried by moving or running water and deposited as sediment.
- Southern Oscillation
- The regularly alternating levels of atmospheric pressure between the central Pacific Ocean and the Australasian region.
- Speciation
- The development of a new species by evolutionary processes.
- Stone artefact scatter
- Stone artefacts are either flaked or ground into shape, or are made through a combination of these methods. They are manufactured and used by Aboriginal groups across Australia and provide the earliest evidence of human occupation in Australia, extending back 50,000 years.
- Storm tide inundation
- Coastal flooding by the sea that is caused by an abnormal elevation of the sea level (a storm surge) over normal tide levels.
- Sulphur dioxide
- Originates mainly from industries such as smelting of mineral ores, oil refining and coal-fired power generation.
- Taxon
- Any taxonomic category, such as species, genus, etc. Taxa is the plural.
- Trackable waste
- Includes environmentally damaging materials listed in Schedule 11 of the Environmental Protection Regulation 2019. Not all trackable wastes are regulated and not all regulated wastes are trackable.
- Traditional Owners
- People who have, by Indigenous tradition, social, economic, and spiritual affiliations with, and responsibilities for, the lands claimed or any part of them.
- Very heavy rainfall
- Classed as days with at least 30 mm of rain.
- Visibility-reducing particles
- A build-up of fine airborne particles which can reduce how far we can see through the air.
- Volatile Organic compounds
- A large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature. Many VOCs are human-made chemicals that are used and produced in the manufacture of paints, adhesives, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants.
- Vulnerable
- The definition of ‘vulnerable’ is defined in the Schedule of the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and prescribed in Part 5 - Wildlife and habitat conservation of the Act.
- Windrow
- Timber and bush bulldozed or put into long ridges after the clearing of land.
- Woody vegetation
- Vegetation for which the ecologically dominant stratum is composed of trees or shrubs.