ACTGOV Rare Plants Habitat Gridded Species Occurrence Data

ACTGOV Rare Plants Habitat layers provide gridded species occurrence data for plants listed as rare, protected, or threatened under the ACT Nature Conservation Act 2014 or the Commonwealth EPBC Act 1999. The dataset is updated quarterly with new sightings from ACT Government surveys and verified records from Canberra Nature Map. The 2024 update implements a new methodology using an underlying ACT grid template and a standardised method of generalising occurrence records to this grid.

Use Cases

• Mapping the area of occupancy (AOO) of rare plant species based on the gridded template.
• Analyzing changes in species distribution over time based on quarterly updates.
• Identifying data-deficient areas for rare plant surveys based on the caveat about survey completeness.
• Assessing habitat suitability for conservation planning based on listed species status (Endangered, Critically Endangered, Vulnerable, Protected, Rare).

Strengths

• Quarterly updates incorporate new sightings from official surveys and verified citizen science records.
• The 2024 update implements a new, standardised methodology for generalising occurrence records to an ACT grid template.
• Includes species listed under both ACT and Commonwealth legislation, providing a dual legal framework.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing solely on the Australian Capital Territory.

Provenance

Source

ACT Government Geospatial Data Catalogue (ACTmapi)

Collection Method

Data sources include ACT Government surveys, consultant surveys, and verified records from Canberra Nature Map.

Freshness

Updated quarterly; last updated 2026-04-04.

Geography

Australian Capital Territory