Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia explained

The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was developed for use as a planning tool, for example for the establishment of a national reserve system. The first version of IBRA was developed in 1993–94 and published in 1995.^[1]

Within the broadest scale, Australia is a major part of the Australasia biogeographic realm, as developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Based on this system, the world is also split into 14 terrestrial habitats, of which eight are shared by Australia. The Australian land mass is divided into 89 bioregions and 419 subregions. Each region is a land area made up of a group of interacting ecosystems that are repeated in similar form across the landscape.

IBRA is updated periodically based on new data, mapping improvements, and review of the existing scheme. The most recent version is IBRA7, developed during 2012, which replaced IBRA6.1.

IBRA regions and subregions

This is a list of region and subregions under IBRA7. Region codes are given in parentheses, followed by area, where known. Images of regions are from IBRA6.1, pending creation of maps for IBRA7.

A

IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Arnhem Coast	ARC
	ARC01	113180ha
	ARC02	1741376ha
	ARC03	1159659ha
	ARC04	268735ha
	ARC05	52720ha
Arnhem Plateau	ARP		NT
	ARP01	1038621ha
	ARP02	1267401ha
Australian Alps	AUA
	AUA01	713114ha
	AUA02	519866ha
Avon Wheatbelt	AVW
	AVW01	6524175ha
	AVW02	2992929ha

B

IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Ben Lomond	BEL
	BEL01
Brigalow Belt North	BBN
	BBN01	763495ha
	BBN02	1054392ha
	BBN03	747393ha
	BBN04	95821ha
	BBN05	397935ha
	BBN06	1316957ha
	BBN07	1772127ha
	BBN08	466275ha
	BBN09	382284ha
	BBN10	1274731ha
	BBN11	2693397ha
	BBN12	449269ha
	BBN13	1009244ha
	BBN14	1250611ha
Brigalow Belt South	BBS		Qld / NSW
	BBS01	1026214ha
	BBS02	749785ha
	BBS03	220541ha
	BBS04	1275970ha
	BBS05	30133ha
	BBS06	715288ha
	BBS07	982807ha
	BBS08	1547555ha
	BBS09	281306ha
	BBS10	2263686ha
	BBS11	652005ha
	BBS12	4264666ha
	BBS13	1301712ha
	BBS14	162442ha
	BBS15	966510ha
	BBS16	511339ha
	BBS17	1697945ha
	BBS18	1219008ha
	BBS19	750661ha
	BBS20	765231ha
	BBS21	624671ha
	BBS22	700241ha
	BBS23	535392ha
	BBS24	1732137ha
	BBS25	941752ha
	BBS26	521960ha
	BBS27	203894ha
	BBS28	303754ha
Broken Hill Complex	BHC		SA / NSW
	BHC01	1802996ha
	BHC02	630694ha
	BHC03	260806ha
	BHC04	1954973ha
	BHC05	279258ha
	BHC06	706696ha
Burt Plain	BRT		NT
	BRT01	2931061ha
	BRT02	3531111ha
	BRT03	390981ha
	BRT04	526567ha

C

IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Cape York Peninsula	CYP		Qld
	CYP01
	CYP02
	CYP03
	CYP04
	CYP05
	CYP06
	CYP07
	CYP08
	CYP09
Carnarvon	CAR		WA
	CAR01
	CAR02
Central Arnhem	CEA		NT
	CEA01
	CEA02
Central Kimberley	CEK		WA
	CEK01
	CEK02
	CEK03
Central Mackay Coast	CMC		Qld
	CMC01
	CMC02
	CMC03
	CMC04
	CMC05
	CMC06
Central Ranges	CER		WA, NT, SA
	CER01
	CER02
	CER03
Channel Country	CHC		NT, Qld, NSW, SA
	CHC01
	CHC02
	CHC03
	CHC04
	CHC05
	CHC06
	CHC07
	CHC08
	CHC09
	CHC10
	CHC11
	CHC12
	CHC13
Cobar Peneplain	COP		NSW
	COP1
	COP2
	COP3
	COP4
	COP5
Coolgardie	COO		WA
	COO1
	COO2
	COO3
Coral Sea	COS

D

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Daly Basin	DAB		NT
Daly Basin	DAB01
Dampierland	DAL		WA
	DAL01
	DAL02
Darling Riverine Plains	DRP		Qld / NSW
	DRP01
	DRP02
	DRP03
	DRP04
	DRP05
	DRP06
	DRP07
	DRP08
	DRP09
Darwin Coastal	DAC		NT
Darwin Coastal	DAC01
Davenport Murchison Ranges	DMR		NT
	DMR01
	DMR02
	DMR03
Desert Uplands	DEU		Qld
	DEU01
	DEU02
	DEU03
	DEU04

E

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Einasleigh Uplands	EIU		Qld
	EIU01
	EIU02
	EIU03
	EIU04
	EIU05
	EIU06
Esperance Plains	ESP		WA
	ESP01
	ESP02
Eyre Yorke Block	EYB		SA
	EYB01
	EYB02
	EYB03
	EYB04
	EYB05

F

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Finke	FIN		NT / SA
	FIN01
	FIN02
	FIN03
	FIN04
Flinders Lofty Block	FLB		SA / NSW
	FLB01
	FLB02
	FLB02
	FLB04
	FLB05
	FLB06
Furneaux	FUR		Tas / Vic
	FUR01
	FUR02

G

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Gascoyne	GAS		WA
	GAS01
	GAS02
	GAS03
Gawler	GAW		SA
	GAW01
	GAW02
	GAW03
	GAW04
	GAW05
	GAW06
	GAW07
	GAW08
Geraldton Sandplains	GES		WA
	GES01
	GES02
Gibson Desert	GID		WA
	GID01
	GID02
Great Sandy Desert	GSD		NT / WA
	GSD01
	GSD02
	GSD03
	GSD04
	GSD05
	GSD06
Great Victoria Desert	GVD		SA / WA
	GVD01
	GVD02
	GVD03
	GVD04
	GVD05
	GVD06
Gulf Coastal	GUC		NT
	GUC01
	GUC02
Gulf Fall and Uplands	GFU		NT / Qld
	GFU01
	GFU02
Gulf Plains	GUP		NT / Qld
	GUP01
	GUP02
	GUP03
	GUP04
	GUP05
	GUP06
	GUP07
	GUP08
	GUP09
	GUP10

H

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Hampton	HAM		SA, WA
Hampton	HAM01

I

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Indian Tropical Islands	ITI
	ITI01
	ITI02
	ITI03

J

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Jarrah Forest	JAF		WA
	JAF01
	JAF02

K

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Kanmantoo	KAN		SA
	KAN01
	KAN02
King	KIN		Tas
King	KIN01

L

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Little Sandy Desert	LSD		WA
	LSD01
	LSD02

M

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
MacDonnell Ranges	MAC		NT
	MAC01
	MAC02
	MAC03
Mallee	MAL		WA
	MAL01
	MAL02
Mitchell Grass Downs	MGD		NT / Qld
	MGD01
	MGD02
	MGD03
	MGD04
	MGD05
	MGD06
	MGD07
	MGD08
Mount Isa Inlier	MII		Qld
	MII01
	MII02
	MII03
Mulga Lands	MUL		NSW / Qld
	MUL01
	MUL02
	MUL03
	MUL04
	MUL05
	MUL06
	MUL07
	MUL08
	MUL09
	MUL10
	MUL11
	MUL12
	MUL13
	MUL14
	MUL15
	MUL16
Murchison	MUR		WA
	MUR01
	MUR02
Murray Darling Depression	MDD		NSW, SA, Vic
	MDD01
	MDD02
	MDD03
	MDD04
	MDD05
	MDD06
	MDD07

N

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Nandewar	NAN		NSW / Qld
	NAN01
	NAN02
	NAN03
	NAN04
Naracoorte Coastal Plain	NCP		SA / Vic
	NCP01
	NCP02
	NCP03
	NCP04
New England Tablelands	NET		NSW
	NET01
	NET02
	NET03
	NET04
	NET05
	NET06
	NET07
	NET08
	NET09
	NET10
	NET11
	NET12
	NET13
	NET14
	NET15
	NET16
	NET17
	NET18
	NET19
Northern Kimberley	NOK		WA
	NOK01
	NOK02
NSW North Coast	NNC		NSW
	NNC01
	NNC02
	NNC03
	NNC04
	NNC05
	NNC06
	NNC07
	NNC08
	NNC09
	NNC10
	NNC11
	NNC12
	NNC13
	NNC14
	NNC15
	NNC16
	NNC17
	NNC18
	NNC19
NSW South Western Slopes	NSS		NSW / Vic
	NSS01
	NSS02
	NSS03
Nullarbor	NUL		SA / WA
	NUL01
	NUL02
	NUL03

O

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Ord Victoria Plain	OVP		NT / WA
	OVP01
	OVP02
	OVP03
	OVP04

P

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Pacific Subtropical Islands	PSI
	PSI01
	PSI02
Pine Creek	PCK		NT
Pine Creek	PCK01
Pilbara	PIL		WA
	PIL01
	PIL02
	PIL03
	PIL04

R

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Riverina	RIV		NSW, SA, Vic
	RIV01
	RIV02
	RIV03
	RIV04
	RIV05
	RIV06

S

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields	SSD		NSW, NT, Qld, SA
	SSD01
	SSD02
	SSD03
	SSD04
	SSD05
South East Coastal Plain	SCP		Vic
	SCP01
	SCP02
	SCP03
South East Corner	SEC		NSW / Vic
	SEC01
	SEC02
	SEC03
South Eastern Highlands	SEH		ACT, NSW, Vic
	SEH01
	SEH02
	SEH03
	SEH04
	SEH06
	SEH07
	SEH08
	SEH09
	SEH10
	SEH11
	SEH12
	SEH13
	SEH14
	SEH15
	SEH16
	SEH17
South Eastern Queensland	SEQ		NSW / Qld
	SEQ01
	SEQ02
	SEQ03
	SEQ04
	SEQ05
	SEQ06
	SEQ07
	SEQ08
	SEQ09
	SEQ10
	SEQ11
	SEQ12
	SEQ13
Southern Volcanic Plain	SVP		SA / Vic	<	-- -->
	SVP01
	SVP02
Stony Plains	STP		SA
	STP01
	STP02
	STP03
	STP04
	STP05
	STP06
	STP07
Sturt Plateau	STU		NT
	STU01
	STU02
	STU03
Subantarctic Islands	SAI		NSW / Vic
	SAI01
	SAI02
Swan Coastal Plain	SWA		WA
	SWA01
	SWA02
Sydney Basin	SYB		NSW
	SYB01
	SYB02
	SYB04
	SYB05
	SYB06
	SYB07
	SYB08
	SYB09
	SYB10
	SYB11
	SYB12
	SYB13
	SYB14

T

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Tanami	TAN		NT / WA
	TAN01
	TAN02
	TAN03
Tasmanian Central Highlands	TCH		Tas
Central Highlands	TCH01
Tasmanian Northern Midlands	TNM		Tas
Northern Midlands	TNM01
Tasmanian Northern Slopes	TNS		Tas
Northern Slopes	TNS01
Tasmanian South East	TSE		Tas
South East	TSE01
Tasmanian Southern Ranges	TSR		Tas
Southern Ranges	TSR01
Tasmanian West	TWE		Tas
West	TWE01
Tiwi Cobourg	TIW		NT
	TIW01
	TIW02

V

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Victoria Bonaparte	VIB		NT / WA
	VIB01
	VIB02
	VIB03
Victorian Midlands	VIM		Vic
	VIM01
	VIM02
	VIM03
	VIM04

W

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Warren	WAR		WA
Warren	WAR01
Wet Tropics	WET		Qld
	WET01
	WET02
	WET03
	WET04
	WET05
	WET06
	WET07
	WET08
	WET09

Y

rowwidth=100px colspan=5	IBRA regions and subregions: IBRA7
IBRA region / subregion	IBRA code	Area		Location in Australia
Yalgoo	YAL		WA
	YAL01
	YAL02

See also

• Ecoregions in Australia
• Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA)

Further reading

• Haque. Md. Mohasinul. Nipperess. David A.. Gallagher. Rachael V.. Beaumont. Linda J.. How well documented is Australia's flora? Understanding spatial bias in vouchered plant specimens. Austral Ecology. 42. 6. 2017. 690–699. 1442-9985. 10.1111/aec.12487. free. (Discusses IBRA regions most likely to benefit from targeted floral sampling)

References

Additional references

• Web site: Australia's bioregions (IBRA) . Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . Commonwealth of Australia . 2012 . 13 January 2013.
• Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) regions and codes.
• Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA7) subregions and codes.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment . Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment . Australia's bioregions (IBRA) . 2021-09-08.