This layer contains digital mapping of the native vegetation communities of the Sydney Metropolitan area. Vegetation communities have been derived from the analysis of 2200 floristic sites collated for the study area. Identified vegetation communities have been related to currently listed threatened ecological communities listed under the NSW TSC Act, 1995 and the Commonwealth EPBC Act, 1999. Native vegetation communities have been mapped using a combination of detailed image interpretation, relationships between sample sites and abiotic environmental variables. The derived digital data layer includes fields that describe the vegetation community, interpreted dominant species and understorey characteristics, interpretation confidence, disturbance type and severity, NSW vegetation formation and classes and related NSW Plant Community Types. These are described in detail in technical reports OEH (2016) The Native Vegetation of the Sydney Metropolitan Area. Volume 1: Technical Report. Version 3.0. Office of Environment and Heritage Sydney. OEH (2016) The Native Vegetation of the Sydney Metropolitan Area. Volume 2: Vegetation Community Profiles. Version 3.0. NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney. Version 3.0 of the Native Vegetation of the Sydney Metropolitan Area updates the Plant Community Type and Biometric Vegetation Type of each map unit.