A New Survey Method to
Assist Land Accounting in Australia
21 June 2006
John Purcell and Michael Vardon
Centre of Environment and Energy Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
john.purcell@abs.gov.au
michael.vardon@abs.gov.au
Presentation overview
•
•
•
•
•
ABS land statistics activity
Current land use and land cover data for Australia
The Land Parcel Survey Methodology
Example data
Issues for consideration
Land Statistics Program
• CEES Advisory Board
• Land Statistics User Group
• NRM Survey (15,000-20,000 units)
• Analytical project with Productivity Commission
• Investigation of Land Accounts
• Land Parcel trials
– Fitzroy-Livingstone (Queensland)
– Eurobodalla (New South Wales)
– Move 2007 NRM Survey to this methodology
Land use map
http://www.daff.gov.au/content/output.cfm?ObjectID=8BDB5767-D1CF-47D5-A3B441AA18E3AD00
Australian Land Cover
Major Vegetation Group
Land cover table
Area (km2)
% total extent
Cleared / modified native vegetation
982,051
12.8
Rainforest and vine thickets
30,232
0.4
Eucalyptus tall open forests
30,129
0.4
Eucalyptus open forest
240,484
3.1
Eucalyptus low open forest
12,923
0.2
Eucalyptus woodlands
693,449
9.0
Acacia forest and woodlands
560,649
7.3
Callitris forest and woodlands
27,725
0.4
Casuarina forest and woodlands
60,849
0.8
Melaleuca forest and woodlands
90,513
1.2
Other forests and woodlands
119,383
1.6
Eucalyptus open woodlands
384,310
5.0
Tropical Eucalyptus woodland/grasslands
254,228
3.3
Acacia open woodlands
114,755
1.5
Mallee woodlands and shrublands
250,420
3.3
Low closed forest and closed shrublands
8,749
0.1
Acacia shrublands
654,280
8.5
Other Shrublands
98,948
1.3
Heath
25,860
0.3
Tussock grasslands
528,998
6.9
Hummock grasslands
1,756,104
22.9
Other grasslands, herblands, sedgelands and rushlands
98,522
1.3
Chenopod shrub, samphire shrub and forblands
552,394
7.2
Mangroves, tidal mudflat, samphire and bare areas, claypan, sand,
106,999
rock, salt lakes, lagoons,
1.4
lakes
7,682,954
100.2
Source : Bureau
of Rural Sciences (BRS)
http://www.daff.gov.au/corporate_docs/publications/pdf/rural_science/landuse/luv2_100m.pdf
Land Parcel Methodology
Land parcel methodology provides an opportunity for ABS to
produce statistics that better support the information
needs of Federal, State and Territory agencies.
1. Survey data can be integrated with other spatial
information held by government and others (especially
remotely sensed data)
2. Outputs can be tailored to regional management areas
3. Specific areas of interest can be surveyed in detail
4. Supports land accounting and in particular the production
of cross classified tables
Trial location
Fitzroy Frame
Frame
4025 Holdings
1,234,398 hectares
Sample
1235 holdings (31%)
1,079,029 hectares (87%)
Basic Frame
Vegetation
Salinity
Land use
Respondents reporting for a known area
Land Cover
Reported
Satellite Imagery
A - Forest/Woodland
Not for release
39.0
B - Water
Not for release
3.5
C - Residence
Not for release
1.8
D - Irrigated Crop
Not for release
13.4
E – Other Crop
Not for release
3.8
F - Grasslands
Not for release
68.0
Total
Not for release
129.5
A
D
E
F
B
C
A
A
A
Fitzroy Trial – Output Regions
Examples of mapped data
Special Areas of Interest
Murray River
Peri-urban
Irrigation Zones
NHT Regions
NHT regions
Fitzroy land cover by land use (ha.)
Use
Rural
Urban
Major
Residenti Residenti
Commerci
Water
al
al
Education al
Industrial Bodies
Agricultur Conserv al
ation
Defence
Unknown Total
Cover
Land
underlying
building
and
structures
Land
under
crop (incl.
fallow)
Forest
and
woodland
?
?
?
930
348
1163
?
16,628
321,442
grassland
and
pasture 726,409
Other
Vegetatio
n
49,901
Unusable
land*
44,981
Water
Unknown
9,037
Total 1,168,398
16,628
118,103
236,300
27,330
?
19,000
38,688
?
?
30,000
703,175
?
?
?
784,097
?
49,901
?
20,596
118,103
285,300
66,018
35,527
35,527
930
348
1,163
20,596
74,981
20,596
1,939
46,503
1,939 1,698,322
Issues
• Should land ownership be included in the “standard
tables” of SEEA (especially since
ownership/management by ISIC is in many cases a
good proxy for land use)?
• If so, should more attention be given to land
ownership and in particular registers of land
ownership in SEEA (or is this more a matter for
practical implementation)?
• Does land management need to be considered along
with land ownership, use and cover?