1.3.2 Ecological assets

Summary

The asset list for the Namoi subregion contains 1964 ecological assets, of which 1684 were considered water dependent. The vegetation subgroup was predominantly sourced from the National atlas of groundwater dependent ecosystems (Bureau of Meteorology, 2012). Most (442 assets) of the groundwater dependent ecosystems were considered water dependent, including 44 river reaches, 22 groundwater fed springs and six wetlands. The water-dependent asset register includes the potential spatial habitat distribution of 18 species listed under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), one wetland (Lake Goran) listed in A directory of important wetlands in Australia (DIWA; Environment Australia, 2001), two important bird areas (IBAs) and 43 protected areas that were assumed to contain water dependent assets. Four threatened ecological communities that occur within the maximum flood extent of the Namoi subregion were also included in the water-dependent asset register. All of the 1142 surface water features and all but eight of the 41 groundwater features, were assumed to be water dependent. A number of important alluvial aquifers, groundwater management zones and groundwater-fed springs were included in the water‑dependent asset register.