Ground Cover - Shrubs

AUS-TDG-CON-GCS General High confidence

Benchmark Value

10 %

Direction: Lower is desirable ↓

Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

Native grasslands are vegetation communities in which grass plants are structurally dominant because the groundcover of woody plants (trees and shrubs) is less than 10%.

Metric Definition:

Percent groundcover of woody plants (shrubs and tree seedlings) within a native grassland community.

Benchmark Definition:

Reference-condition ceiling for woody groundcover in native grasslands to maintain open, light-abundant conditions.

Justification:

The cited source explicitly identifies the value in a reference-site context for high-condition native grassland ecosystems.

Sources (1)

MANAGING NATIVE GRASSLAND - Hotspots Fire Project, accessed August 10, 2025

Managing native grassland: a guide to management for conservation, production and landscape protection

View Source

Supporting Sources (2)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

International Vegetation Classification Hierarchy

Irrelevant

International Vegetation Classification Hierarchy

View Source

Pinnacle Nature Reserve Offset 2015 Monitoring Report

Irrelevant

Pinnacle Nature Reserve Offset 2015 Monitoring Report

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands
Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
Assessment Conservation Target
Vegetation Grassland
Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 18 Jun 2026

Notes

Maintaining shrub and woody cover below 10% is essential for maintaining the open, light-abundant conditions required by diverse inter-tussock herbs.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TDG-CON-GCS family.