Download ServicesThe density of threatened and migratory species distributions grid is derived from the Department's Species of National Environmental Significance modelled distribution data. All threatened and most migratory species, for which Australia is part of the normal range, are modelled using three categories to indicate where their habitat is known, likely or may occur across Australia. The spatial input data was filtered using the following criteria:1. Distributions for EPBC Act (1999) listed species that are Matters of National Environmental Significance (vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, extinct in the wild or migratory – where mapped within the Australian context)2. Contains ‘known’ and/or ‘likely to occur’ modelled habitat categories. Species with only ‘may occur’ habitat modelled are not included in the counts.3. High-level habitat filtering based on taxonomy, EPBC Act status and traits to include only terrestrial species or species that have some portion of their lifecycle modelled in terrestrial (freshwater aquatic, estuarine, shore-based or intertidal) environments. This includes all plants (including mangroves), migratory marine species that have mapped breeding sites on land, such as marine turtles or birds, and any animals that move between freshwater, estuarine and marine environments. In some cases, for migratory birds, full range distributions are not mapped and only the known and likely breeding habitat is mapped on land. Where a broader distribution including marine habitats has been mapped, the known and likely categories have been clipped to the Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) GEODATA COAST 100K 2004. External territories and islands not present in the 100k coastline dataset are therefore not represented in this derived dataset.The number of overlaps for each distribution in the selected feature set were counted and gridded to a 0.01 decimal degree (~1km) cell size. For example, a value of 20 indicates that there is known or likely habitat for twenty threatened or migratory species modelled in that 1km square. Note projecting the data will alter the cell size.The counts do not necessarily indicate the presence of a species. Given the indicative nature of the input data, this dataset should be used only as guide showing the density of modelled terrestrial habitat of threatened and migratory species across Australia. Unsuitable habitat such as built-up or fire-affected areas are not necessarily removed from the input species distribution models. This is particularly true for broad-ranging species and for species where it is important to account for habitat fragmentation and fauna moving through the landscape. Modelled distributions may therefore encompass areas where a threatened species may not be found.The dataset is updated regularly to reflect updates to the Species of National Environmental Significance data.The initial raster stretch in ArcGIS Online Map Viewer may appear dark. To improve visibility, it is recommended to change Image Enhancement: Symbology Type to Unique Values and apply a suitable colour ramp.
