Biological Records for Southern Great Barrier Reef National Park Islands

A database of native and alien species records for National Park islands in the southern Great Barrier Reef, compiled from published literature, 'grey' sources, and expert consultation. The dataset includes three shapefiles detailing species abundance, threats, and regional ecosystem types, created as a basis for a decision support tool. It was described as the most complete dataset for these islands at the time of its release.

Use Cases

• Modeling habitat suitability based on recorded life history traits and habitat requirements.
• Assessing conservation status by cross-referencing species records with EPBC and NCA listings.
• Analyzing the impact of invasive species like the Cane Toad or Black Rat based on the presence/absence threat data.
• Mapping regional ecosystem diversity across islands using the polygon-based shapefile data.

Strengths

• Records are structured to remain associated with their original source, allowing for contextual review.
• Integrates data from multiple sources including WildNet, the Queensland Herbarium, and expert elicitation.
• Includes spatially explicit shapefiles for threats, ecosystems, and species abundance.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified; the last updated metadata date is 2026-07-13 10:15:14.152327.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data.gov.au

Collection Method

Comprehensive literature review and compilation of unpublished records from sources like WildNet and the Queensland Herbarium, supplemented by expert consultation.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 10:15:14.152327; freshness should be verified.

Geography

National Park islands in the southern Great Barrier Reef.