🌿 New Release: Wetlands Project-Hypothesis 7 - Macquarie Groundcover Vegetation on SEED Open Data Portal
We’re excited to announce the release of the Wetlands Project-Hypothesis 7 - Macquarie Groundcover Vegetation dataset on the SEED Open Data Portal!
We’re excited to announce the release of the Wetlands Project-Hypothesis 7 - Macquarie Groundcover Vegetation dataset on the SEED Open Data Portal!
This dataset focuses on the Macquarie Marshes wetlands, located in central northern New South Wales, Australia, approximately 100 km northeast of Warren and 180 km northwest of Dubbo. The Macquarie Marshes are one of the largest remaining inland semi-permanent wetlands in southeastern Australia and are of international importance. The study area includes the Macquarie watercourses and was part of the Integrated Monitoring of Environmental Flows Project (IMEF), a NSW-wide scientific program established in 1998.
📌 What’s in the Dataset?
The dataset includes vegetation survey data from three main monitoring periods: 2000 (lead by Renee Kidson), 2001-2006 (lead by Chris Knight), and 2008-2010 (lead by Patrick Driver). It documents the distribution, percentage cover, and abundance of vegetation species along permanent 100m transects using a 5m x 5m quadrat at 10m intervals. The data also includes information on taxonomy, exotic/native status, and functional groups based on habitat and life history descriptions.
This dataset builds upon previous datasets for the Namoi, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee, and Gwydir catchments, as part of the broader Wetlands Project-Hypothesis 7 initiative.
💡 Why It Matters
The release of this dataset will assist in understanding the relationship between wetland water regimes and the biodiversity of plant species within the Macquarie Marshes. This information is valuable for water management, ecological research, and environmental conservation efforts, particularly in the context of wetland restoration.
💬 We invite you to contribute to this forum!
We’d love to hear your thoughts on how these resources could support your work or research. Click 'Reply' below to share your feedback, comments, and questions, and help shape better water management strategies for NSW by engaging with this SEED forum and dataset.