ILLAWARRA BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY Vol. 2 - Wollongong City ...

4.2 DATA GAPSThe dataaudithighlightedthe followingdata gaps andknowledge managementissues acrossall threecouncils. These areoutlinedin Table7.Table 7:DatagapsandprioritiesTheme Gap PrioritytoaddressVegetationand mappingMapping inaccuracies.Some smallercommunities including EECs are notmappedinKiamaand Shellharbour LGAs.Any furthersurvey work shouldtarget EECs.Lackof dataonpre-European extentofvegetationcommunities.ThreatenedspeciesAquatic dataFloraandfaunageneralInvertebratesGeneticdiversityVegetationmapping inconsistenciesbetweenCouncils.Some localvegetationcommunitiesnot welldescribed inregionalmapping (Tozer et al.2006).Lackofknowledgeon appropriate fire regimesfor local vegetationcommunities,especially forareasmanagedforassetprotection.Vegetation communities not alwaysaligningclearly to EECdeterminations.Vegetation condition.Absenceofmore recentGISdata delineatingextant (existing) vegetation.Lackof records,particularly inShellharbourandKiama LGAs.Lackoftargetedsurveys.Poormanagement of newsurvey data. Not always includedin theWildlife AtlasDatabase.No regional datasets.Limitedsitespecificsurveysonly.Nonvascular plants suchasbryophytes(mosses, liverworts andhornworts),andalgae arenot generally recorded.Poorly known.Fauna survey datapoor, particularly inShellharbour and KiamaLGAs.Incompatible mapping systemsand datamanagementsystems whichlimits data sharingbetweencouncils.Fauna habitat modelling not available for KiamaandShellharbour.Inconsistent reportingon key indicatorsbetween Councils inState ofEnvironmentReporting.Few site specific studiesonly. Very poorlyknown.No dataavailable.As stated inVolumeOne,itis recommended that theIllawarraCouncilswork towardaddressing thesedata gaps over timewhenfundingand resourcesare available.Projectsaddressingdatagapsshouldfocuson priorityareas, speciesor communities where limitedresources are available.ILLAWARRA BIODIVERSITYSTRATEGYVol.2Background document 15