Ecological Vegetation Class Maps

Ecological Vegetation Class (EVC) Broad Group Maps

Victoria's native vegetation communities are being progressively mapped in a statewide program coordinated by The Parks, Flora and Fauna Division of the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). Vegetation mapping for conservation uses in Victoria uses Ecological Vegetation Classes which are a classification based on co-occuring native plant species (both understorey and overstorey), broad ecological themes, and environmental attributes. Mapping is typically at 1:100 000 scale but may also be undertaken at 1:25 000 in very fragmented or diverse landscapes. The map provided here shows the major groups of EVC classes that occur in the Corangamite region. These groups are used to simplify the number of colours required so that maps can be easily displayed on the website. The Biodiversity Interactive Map on the DSE website (external link) allows users to display a number of vegetation themes for any area of Victoria - including Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs), 1750 EVCs, broad EVC Groups and Bioregional Conservation Status of EVCs. Users can then print out the maps they have created. The Biodiversity Interactive Map is regularly updated as new information becomes available and should be referred to for the most up-to-date EVC mapping - rather than the image maps provided on this website which may not have been updated with more recently available information.

Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs) are the basic mapping units used for biodiversity planning and conservation assessment at landscape, regional and broader scales in Victoria. They are derived from large-scale forest type and plant community mapping and are based on the following types of information:

• plant communities and forest types (including species and structural information)
• ecological information relevant to the species that comprise the communities (including life-form and reproductive strategies)
• information that describes variation in the physical environment (including aspect, elevation, geology and soils, landform, rainfall, salinity and climatic zones.

Each EVC represents one or more plant (floristic) communities that occur in similar types of environments. The floristic communities within each EVC tend to show similar ecological responses to environmental factors such as disturbance (e.g. wildfire). As well as representing plant communities, EVCs can be used as a guide to the distribution of individual species and groups of species, including animals and lower plants such as mosses and liverworts. (Commonwealth of Australia and State of Victoria, 1999)

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