| Dataset Number | 2726 |
| Dataset Title | SA Wilderness Inventory (Human Industrial Footprint Index and Ecological Intactness Index) |
| Custodian | Data Authority: Department for Environment and Water
Data Provider: Department for Environment and Water
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Description
| Description | The South Australian wilderness inventory analysis comprises of two datasets: the Human Industrial Footprint Index (HII) and the Ecological Intactness Index (EII).
The HII dataset maps modern industrial level pressures at a fine resolution for the State and was developed by analysing a suite of terrestrial pressure layers, with each pressure layer weighted according to their impact on wilderness. The pressure layers used in this analysis include built environments, crop lands, pastureland, human population density, night-time lights, roads, railways, navigable waterways, dams and reservoirs, forestry, mining, oil and gas. A HII index was produced by summing all the weighted pressure layers together, with the final dataset created at a resolution of 300m. Thresholds were used as proxy for categorising an area as wilderness: with wilderness (HII values <1), intact lands (HII values < 4), and degraded lands (HII Values >= 7).
The EII dataset maps the intactness of ecosystems by measuring changes in habitat area, quality and fragmentation, and can be calculated at large spatial scales (i.e. ecosystem types, bioregions, etc.). The EII dataset has been developed using the HII as a proxy for habitat quality, and is based on a continuous, grid-based (raster) representation of variable habitat quality.
Details of the analysis are documented in the South Australian Human Industrial Footprint and Intactness Assessment technical report. |
| Usage | The HII and EII datasets can be used to generate wilderness maps of South Australia to illustrate the continuum of human modification of the natural environment. These wilderness maps can be overlayed with other information to provide a clear idea of how threatened different environments and biodiversity can be. |
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Data Quality
| Lineage | The HII and EII datasets are the product of the Wilderness Inventory research collaboration between DEW and the University of Queensland.
The HII dataset was created using a suite of 12 weighted pressure layers sourced from a range of DEW data bases. Built environments, crop lands, pasture land, forestry, mining data came from the South Australian Land Use data (2008-2017); human population density data came from the Australian population grid (2016); night-time lights data came from VIIRS Annual Night Lights version 2.1 (2016); roads data came from State-wide Road Network, complemented with data from Open Streets Map (2022); railways data came from State-wide Rail Network (2022); navigable waterways data was generated for this study, following methods in Venter et al (2016); and oil and gas data came from Petroleum production licenses and Petroleum Pipeline Facilities and Licenses (2023).
The EII dataset incorporates habitat area, quality, and fragmentation of habitat and was developed using the methodology of Beyer et al. (2020). It uses the HII as a proxy for habitat quality, and is based on a continuous, grid-based (raster) representation of variable habitat quality.
Refer to South Australian Human Industrial Footprint and Intactness Assessment technical report to full details of the analysis methodology. |
| Completeness | Data is available for the terrestrial extent of South Australia. |
| Positional Accuracy | All data is modelled using a 300 m grid across the state. Accuracy will be influenced by the resolution of the input layers. |
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Geographic Extent
| Extent Name | South Australia |
| Min Easting or Longitude | 129 |
| Min Northing or Latitude | -38.25 |
| Max Easting or Longitude | 141 |
| Max Northing or Latitude | -26 |
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