Port Hedland Inner Port Benthic Habitat Assessment Boundaries

A 2011 spatial dataset defines the Local Assessment Unit for the inner Port Hedland port area, covering 15,102.5 hectares of nearshore barrier islands, tidal creeks, and intertidal zones. Created by the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia, it serves as the basis for evaluating cumulative development-related losses to benthic primary producer habitats.

Use Cases

• Delineate administrative boundaries for applying Environmental Assessment Guideline No.3 (EPA 2009) to the inner Port Hedland port area.
• Perform spatial analysis to evaluate cumulative irreversible habitat loss within the defined Local Assessment Unit boundaries.
• Map benthic primary producer habitats in the area encompassing nearshore barrier islands and tidal creeks.

Strengths

• Provides a precise spatial area of 15,102.5 hectares for the assessment unit.
• Dataset is maintained by the authoritative Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats including GEOPACKAGE, GEOJSON, and SHP for interoperability.

Limitations

• Spatial data is from 2011 and may not reflect current habitat conditions or development impacts.
• Lacks tabular attribute columns, limiting analysis to purely geometric or boundary-based operations.
• Specific use is tied to a single guideline (EPA 2009), potentially reducing generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.

Collection Method

Spatial delineation for regulatory assessment purposes.

Time Range

2011.

Freshness

Metadata indicates a recent administrative update in 2026, but the underlying spatial data is from 2011.

Geography

Inner Port Hedland port area, Western Australia, encompassing nearshore barrier islands, tidal creeks, and adjacent intertidal areas.