How PLOT works · Sourcing protocol
We decide where to look before we look.
For every place, PLOT asks the same 16 questions. This page shows where we look for each answer, in what order, and when we stop. It's written down before any searching starts, so anyone can check it or challenge it.
In 30 seconds
Four promises about how we look
Questions first
We start from what anyone would want to know about a place, not from whatever data is easy to find.
Look in a set order
Each question lists where to look first, second and third. The order is a search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
Stop on purpose
Each question says when the search is done, so coverage doesn't depend on how patient someone was.
Show where we didn't look
‘Not looked yet’ and ‘looked, found nothing’ are different, and both are shown.
How it works
From a question to a claim
Every claim on a PLOT page went through these steps. You can follow any claim back through them with “How we found this”.
Where we look
8 channels
A channel is a kind of place to look. Each question names the channels it uses and the order to try them in.
The order is a search plan, not a ranking of truth: a source found later can still be the better one.
Structured datasets
Government, regulator and science datasets with an API, download or map service.
Usually looked at first, because they come with methods, dates and boundaries.
Used in 11 questions · first in 11
Official documents
Council and agency strategies, state of environment reports, annual reports, budgets, minutes.
Shown as what the public body reports, not as an independent measurement.
Used in 12 questions · first in 3
The questions
16 questions we ask about every place
Grouped into six themes. Each one says where to look, in what order, when to stop and when the answer goes out of date.
16 of 16 questions shown
Q01 · Where and who
Where exactly is this place, and which governments, agencies and Traditional Owner organisations have roles here?
Place frame and governance
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
- 3First Nations organisations
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the boundary, the governments and agencies, and the Traditional Owner organisations are all identified, and a person has confirmed anything flagged.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Fair participation, including Indigenous peoples (global biodiversity target 22)
Q02 · What lives here
How much native vegetation is here, of what types, and how does that compare to before clearing?
Native vegetation extent and types
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
- 3Practitioners and community
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when state vegetation mapping is found and at least one local cross-check has been tried, whatever it found.
- Out of date after
- 3 years
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Restore degraded ecosystems (global biodiversity target 2)
Q03 · Condition and change
What condition is that vegetation in, measured how and when?
Vegetation and habitat condition
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
- 3Scientific literature
- 4Practitioners and community
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when condition data with a stated method is found, or every channel has been searched and nothing found. Then the gap can become a next step.
- Out of date after
- 3 years
- Helps track
- Restore degraded ecosystems (global biodiversity target 2)
Q04 · Condition and change
How much native vegetation has been lost or gained here, when and why?
Gross vegetation loss and change
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Regulatory records
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when at least one series over time, with a stated method, is found, or both channels have been searched and nothing found.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
Q05 · Protection and promises
What land and water here is formally protected or conserved, under what instrument?
Protected and conserved areas
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Regulatory records
- 3Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the national protected-areas database (CAPAD) and the state's conservation agreements and registers have both been checked.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Protect and conserve 30% of land and sea (global biodiversity target 3)
Q06 · What lives here
Which threatened species are recorded here, which only modelled as likely, and how recent is the evidence?
Threatened species recorded or likely
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Scientific literature
- 3Practitioners and community
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the state atlas, the Atlas of Living Australia and the national Protected Matters tool have been checked, and species are split into 'recorded here (latest year)' and 'only modelled as likely'.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Halt extinctions and recover species (global biodiversity target 4)
- Sensitive
- Exact locations of threatened species are never shown.
Q07 · What lives here
Which listed ecological communities occur here, mapped how?
Threatened ecological communities
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when national and state listings have been checked, with mapped communities kept apart from indicative ones.
- Out of date after
- 2 years
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Halt extinctions and recover species (global biodiversity target 4)
Q08 · What lives here
How well is this place actually surveyed: how many records, how recent, how spread out?
Biodiversity data coverage
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Worked out by code from the records themselves: how many, from which years, for which groups, across which grid squares.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Good data and knowledge for decisions (global biodiversity target 21)
Q09 · Condition and change
What condition are the waterways, wetlands and coast in, by whose monitoring?
Waterway, wetland and coastal condition
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
- 3Practitioners and community
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the waterway manager's reporting is found, or has been searched and nothing found. Each waterway or stretch is handled on its own.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Keep nature's benefits to people, like clean water (global biodiversity target 11)
- Reduce pollution (global biodiversity target 7)
- Only if
- Only for places with a major waterway or a coast.
Q10 · Pressures
Which weeds and pest animals are a significant pressure here, and what is being done?
Invasive species pressure
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
- 3Practitioners and community
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when a priority weed and pest list from a management plan is found, or searched and nothing found. Sightings are kept apart from control work.
- Out of date after
- 2 years
- Helps track
- Reduce invasive species (global biodiversity target 6)
Q11 · Pressures
What approved or proposed development and land-use change affects nature here?
Development, land use and major projects
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Company reports
- 3Leads (news, web)
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when national referrals and the state's major-project registers have been checked for this boundary over the last 10 years.
- Out of date after
- 6 months
- Helps track
- Plan all land and sea with biodiversity in mind (global biodiversity target 1)
- Build biodiversity into decisions (global biodiversity target 14)
Q12 · Protection and promises
What offset obligations, credit sites and credit transactions relate to this place?
Offsets, credits and conservation obligations
- Look, in order
- 1Regulatory records
- 2Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when every state register has been checked for the council area. Credits on offer, credits needed and credits traded are kept apart.
- Out of date after
- 6 months
- Helps track
- Businesses assess and disclose their impacts (global biodiversity target 15)
- More money for biodiversity (global biodiversity target 19)
Q13 · Work and money
What restoration and management work is planned, underway or done here, by whom?
Restoration and management activity
- Look, in order
- 1Structured datasets
- 2Official documents
- 3Practitioners and community
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the council, the catchment body and at least two community groups have been checked.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Restore degraded ecosystems (global biodiversity target 2)
Q14 · Protection and promises
What has this place's council and region committed to for nature, and by when?
Local strategies, targets and commitments
- Look, in order
- 1Official documents
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the council's strategies have been checked. Each target is recorded with its starting point and reporting status, where stated.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Build biodiversity into decisions (global biodiversity target 14)
Q15 · Where and who
Which public bodies, community groups, practitioners and Traditional Owner organisations are active here, and how can they be reached publicly?
Who works on nature here
- Look, in order
- 1Official documents
- 2Practitioners and community
- 3First Nations organisations
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the council directory, the Landcare network and formal Traditional Owner registers have been checked.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- Fair participation, including Indigenous peoples (global biodiversity target 22)
- Sensitive
- Only public contact routes. Traditional Owner material follows their rules.
Q16 · Work and money
What money is going to nature work here, from whom, for what?
Nature funding into this place
- Look, in order
- 1Official documents
- 2Company reports
A search plan, not a ranking of who's right.
- Stop when
- Stop when the council budget and state and federal grant announcements have been checked. Money pledged, awarded and spent is kept apart.
- Out of date after
- 1 year
- Helps track
- More money for biodiversity (global biodiversity target 19)
When we stop
Look in order, stop on purpose
Who does what
AI drafts. People decide.
- Pin down the place: code
- Pull the datasets: code
- Search: code and AI
- Read and extract: AI and code
- A person checks: a person
- Local and Traditional Owner knowledge: a person
- Fill gaps on the ground: a person
Starting sources
Where PLOT looks first
The main sources PLOT checks first when answering these questions. It isn't everything PLOT may use: claims can also come from other reports, studies and community records, each linked on the claim it supports. The list grows as sources are checked and added.
Today: 26 sources: 20 government agencies, 3 statutory bodies, 1 tribunal, 2 research or independent. All are still candidates: PLOT knows they exist, but hasn't yet confirmed access, licence and coverage for each.
Showing 26 of 26.
Candidate: PLOT knows of it; access, licence and coverage not yet confirmed · Checked: access, licence and coverage confirmed by a person · Connected: PLOT pulls from it automatically
- ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (LGA, urban areas) link not yet recordedAustralian Bureau of Statistics
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0 (to confirm)
- Atlas of Living Australia occurrence and species APIs link not yet recordedAtlas of Living Australia
- Type
- Research or independent
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- API
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- per-dataset (record-level licences vary)
- Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) link not yet recordedAustralian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- EPBC Act public notices and referrals link not yet recordedAustralian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) link not yet recordedAustralian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- National Native Title Tribunal spatial data link not yet recordedNational Native Title Tribunal
- Type
- Tribunal
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Private land conservation agreements register (BCT / Biodiversity Conservation Act registers) link not yet recordedNSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust / NSW DCCEEW
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- BioNet Species Sightings Web Service (OData) link not yet recordedNSW DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- API
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Species data licence terms apply (to review)
- BioNet Threatened Biodiversity Web Service link not yet recordedNSW DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- API
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Biodiversity Offsets Scheme public registers (credit supply, demand, transactions) and BioBanking registers link not yet recordedNSW DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Register use-purpose terms apply; review before redistribution
- BioNet Vegetation Classification (Plant Community Types) link not yet recordedNSW DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- API
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Local Land Services strategic plans (relevant region) link not yet recordedLocal Land Services
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- Document
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- NSW Planning Portal (major projects, LEPs, spatial viewer incl. Biodiversity Values Map) link not yet recordedNSW Department of Planning
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- SEED — Sharing and Enabling Environmental Data portal link not yet recordedNSW Government
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- NSW State Vegetation Type Map (current and pre-clearing), BioNet map services link not yet recordedNSW DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- New South Wales
- Gets it by
- Map service
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- National Vegetation Information System (extant and pre-1750 MVG/MVS) link not yet recordedAustralian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- EPBC Protected Matters Search Tool link not yet recordedAustralian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT) / EPBC threatened lists link not yet recordedAustralian Government DCCEEW
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Threatened Species Index link not yet recordedTSX / NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub successors
- Type
- Research or independent
- Where
- National
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Biodiversity 2037 activity data (ActivityKit) link not yet recordedVictoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- CoastKit (marine and coastal data) link not yet recordedVictoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Map service
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- DEECA DataShare spatial downloads (incl. EVC mapping, Victorian Land Cover Time Series) link not yet recordedVictoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Download
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- NatureKit (EVCs, habitat distribution models, Strategic Management Prospects) link not yet recordedVictoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Map service
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Victorian planning schemes and overlays (VicPlan) link not yet recordedVictoria Department of Transport and Planning
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Map service
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Regional Catchment Strategy (relevant CMA) link not yet recordedCatchment Management Authorities
- Type
- Statutory body
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Document
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Not yet checked
- Victorian Biodiversity Atlas link not yet recordedVictoria DEECA
- Type
- Government agency
- Where
- Victoria
- Gets it by
- Web portal
- Status
- Candidate
- Licence
- Published versions seen under CC BY-NC 4.0 — commercial redistribution needs review
Honest limits
What this version can't do yet
- Every source in the starting list is still a candidate: names come from public pages checked on 16 October 2026. Access, licence and coverage still need confirming one by one.
- Some sources can't be freely republished (for example, some are non-commercial only). That needs a licence review before PLOT shares data onward.
- These questions are for places the size of a council or catchment. Facilities and companies will get their own protocols.
- Cost estimates are guesses until at least three places have been run.
Change it
Think we're looking in the wrong place?
Suggest a source (coming)
A dataset, report or group we should be looking at.
Challenge a decision (coming)
Something left out that should be in, or the reverse.
Challenge a rule (coming)
A question, an order or a stopping rule you'd change.
Cite and reuse
Use this protocol
Cite as: PLOT sourcing protocol place-core@0.1.0 (draft; content 9ecc45fffa9f), as of 2026-10-16
Content hash (SHA-256): 9ecc45fffa9f7df65d6c577dfa4fd2cec01be560766d3b7b6e1eeddd04ce434e