A report form is one of the main tools used for monitoring occurrences of threatened ecological communities (TECs) and priority ecological communities (PECs) in Western Australia. It is used predominantly by DBCA staff to collect data from occasional and repeated observations of occurrences, but can also be used by anybody, including NRM professionals, environmental consultants, nature enthusiasts and other members of the public. If you believe you have discovered a new occurrence of a TEC or would like to document a change in the condition or threat level of a known occurrence, please submit a report to DBCA.

Note that in accordance with section 49 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, it is a requirement to report threatened ecological community occurrences discovered when carrying out field work for the purposes of an assessment under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 Part IV or when complying with a requirement under the Environmental Protection Act 1986 section 51E(1)(d) in relation to an application for a clearing permit.

The report form (PDF or Word document) is available for download below, as well as a field manual designed to assist in the consistent collection and recording of data by providing explanations, examples and parameters.

Report forms can be completed electronically and emailed or posted for submission.

Send report forms to:

Species and Communities Branch 
Locked Bag 104
Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 

or email to: 

communities.data@dbca.wa.gov.au

The attached document outlines the survey and identification requirements for Western Australian threatened ecological communities (TECs). It draws broadly on EPA guidance notes, and standard DBCA practice developed over many years. It is intended to support a consistent, repeatable, rigorous approach to assessing and assigning community types, with a particular focus on floristic community types (FCTs) on the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP). It incorporates and addresses comments received during the public comment period prior to the first listing of TECs under the Biodiversity Conservation Act.

There are many scientific publications and references listed. These are available through library.dbca.wa.gov.au. Some DBCA internal reports will need to be requested through the DBCA library (library@dbca.wa.gov.au).

For TECs that are floristic community types on the Swan Coastal Plain, occurrences will also need to meet the requisites as outlined in Appendix 1.

Email enquiries to communities.data@dbca.wa.gov.au 

Examples of monitoring protocols for a selection of threatened ecological communities are provided below.