This is the introductory document to A practical guide for conservation planning using the General Ecosystem Model for Southern Australian Woodlands.
Eucalypt woodlands constitute some of the most extensive and yet exploited ecosystems in Australia. There are 24 southern Australian eucalypt woodland communities listed as threatened under the EPBC Act (16 Critically Endangered, 8 Endangered) but just 5 of these communities currently have national recovery plans. Conservation and recovery plans are typically developed one at a time, and resources for conservation assessment and recovery planning are scarce. We built an overarching ecosystem model for southern Australian woodlands that can aid the EPBC listing and recovery planning process. This guide uses information gathered throughout the project to provide a structured approach to conservation planning based on expert knowledge and field data from eucalypt dominated woodlands across Australia.