On 30 December 2021, the Minister for Resources, The Hon. Scott Stewart, released the latest SLATS report. This report marks the first release in a new era of SLATS reporting in Queensland, with the program having revised and enhanced its methods and technologies. The media statement can be read here: https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/94205

The fully-online reports, which include the 2018 woody extent baseline report and the first change report using the new monitoring methods, the 2018-19 report, can be found here:https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/mapping/statewide-monitoring/slats/slats-reports

More information about SLATS, its revised and enhanced methods, and where to access SLATS spatial data and data summaries, can be accessed by navigating to the relevant locations from the SLATS parent page: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/mapping/statewide-monitoring/slats

The Queensland Herbarium’s Spatial BioCondition mapping framework which was also part of the program enhancements aimed to deliver mapping outcomes in 2022. More information can be found here: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/biodiversity/biocondition

Vegetation mapping – State coverage complete (superseded by the above section)

On 30 May 2017 then Science Minister Leanne Enoch announced completion of the mapping of Queensland’s vegetation types – “Version 10.0 of the Regional Ecosystems mapping” – after a scientific initiative extending over 28 years. Natural resource mapping is an input to the planning of a wide range of public sector, business and civil society projects. The value of information of this kind ripples through the economy in many more ways than simply supporting conservation planning.

Congratulations are due to a number of public-spirited scientists from a range of disciplines for investing their time and skills in this project; and to successive Queensland Governments for allowing them the budgets and intellectual space to fulfil this mission. Royal Society of Queensland Member and Past President Paul Sattler OAM has written of the origin of the regional ecosystem program in his memoirs, published on the Society’s website. Paul as a prime mover of the project was invited to deliver an address at the launch following Ministers Leanne Enoch and Dr Steven Miles – published here.

The Minister also released Queensland’s Regional Ecosystems: Building and maintaining a biodiversity inventory, planning framework and information system for Queensland. https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/redd/resource/42657ca4-848f-4d0e-91ab-1b475faa1e7d  which documents the history and development of the regional ecosystem biodiversity inventory, planning framework and information system for Queensland.

Also released was Version 3 of the Vegetation of Queensland https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/redd/resource/78209e74-c7f2-4589-90c1-c33188359086 and version 4 of the Methodology https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/redd/resource/6dee78ab-c12c-4692-9842-b7257c2511e4.

A full media explanation is on http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2017/5/30/qld-ecosystems-mapped-and-online-in-worldleading-science-achievement.

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