Bega Valley
Indicator: Land Use
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Bega Valley
Maps of land use in | 1997 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 (see below)
As in 2004, the main landuse in Bega Valley Shire in 2008 was conservation, which made up 41% of the total Shire area. Agriculture and timber production were the other major landuses, comprising some 32% and 26% of the Shire respectively (Figure 1).
The main landuse change in Bega Valley Shire in the current reporting period is the increase in land under agricultural use, which has increased from 19% to 32% of total Shire area. This is due to bushland being categorized as agriculture in the current period. No accurate mapping figures on the extent or quality of bushland were available at the time of reporting. Most areas of bushland are located in agricultural zoned lands, and in all likelihood this figure does not represent an actual decrease in the amount of bushland on the ground.
How is the land being used now?
Figure 1: Landuse in Bega Valley Shire
As in 2004, of Bega Valley’s total Shire area (627,950 hectares), the dominant landuse at the end of the current reporting period was conservation (41%). Land used under agriculture increased significantly to 32% (outlined above), while timber production accounted for 26% of total Shire area (see Figure 2). Bega, Eden, Merimbula, Pambula, Bermagui, Tathra and Tura Beach townships, which covered about 1% of the total Shire area, comprised the majority of the urban land.
Figure 2: Major landuse in Bega Valley Shire, June 2008
Source: Bega Valley Shire Council
What has changed and why?
The major landuse change in the current reporting period was the increase in land under agricultural use, which has increased from 19% to 32% of total Shire area (see Table 1). This is due to bushland being categorized as agriculture in the current period, as no accurate mapping figures on the extent or quality of bushland were available at the time of reporting. Most areas of bushland are located in agricultural zoned lands, and in all likelihood this figure does not represent an actual decrease in the amount of bushland on the ground.
| Landuse Category | 1997 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 19% | 19% | 19% | 32.3% |
| Bushland | 13% | 13% | 13% | *% |
| Conservation | 34% | 38% | 42% | 41% |
| Quarries | -% | -% | -% | -% |
| Timber production | 33% | 28% | 24% | 25.7% |
| Urban | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Waterbodies | -% | -% | -% | -% |
Source: Bega Valley Shire Council; *For 2008 there are no accurate mapping figures on either extent or quality of bushland, most areas of bushland are located in agricultural zoned land.
Agriculture
The amount of land under agricultural production increased significantly in the current reporting period (see Table 1). As noted above, this movement is due to bushland being categorized as agriculture in the current period, as no accurate mapping figures on the extent or quality of bushland were available at the time of reporting.
Regarding agricultural landuse subcategories, there was insufficient information at the time of reporting to comment. Consequently, it is unknown at this stage whether there has been a significant change in the use of land under agricultural production.
Timber production
The area of land under timber production within the Shire increased slightly in the current reporting period (see Table 1), after decreasing in each of the previous reporting periods. The underpinning reasons for the increase in 2008 remain unclear at this stage in the reporting process.
In 2004, about 12,800 hectares of native hardwood forests were transferred from Forests NSW to the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), as part of the Southern Regional Forest Agreement (Southern RFA), to be managed for conservation. In addition, some 10,400 hectares of native hardwood forest was partially rezoned to Forest Management Zone 1 (including about 7,800 hectares dedicated as Flora Reserves — see Table 2) and Forest Management Zone 2 (informal reserves). These two forest management zones are still managed by Forests NSW but for the protection of their high or significant conservation values instead of for timber production. For more information about the Southern RFA process, which was part of comprehensive regional assessments undertaken in NSW between 1997 and 2000, see www.racac.nsw.gov.au/overview/cras.shtml.
| Landuse Category | Area (Hectares) |
|---|---|
| Yambulla | 180 |
| Mount Poole | 940 |
| Letts Mountain | 910 |
| Wallagaraugh | 3080 |
| Sidlings Swamp | 1248 |
| Nullica | 23 |
| Nethercote Falls | 146 |
| Jingera | 470 |
| Watergums Creek | 238 |
| Maxwells | 513 |
| Narrabarba Hill | 125 |
Source: Department of Primary Industries (Forests NSW) 2004
As a result of the Regional Forest Agreements, the Forestry and National Parks Estate Act 1998 was enacted. This Act scheduled transfers of State Forests and other Crown lands to national park estate or Aboriginal ownership. As a result, approximately 840 hectares of state-owned timber production forest was converted to freehold land under the ownership of the Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council. A further 1500 hectares of former State Forest subject to Crown lease was vested in the then Minister for National Parks and Wildlife, subject to leasehold interest, but was not dedicated as conservation reserves under the 1974 NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act.
Bushland
As identified above, no accurate mapping figures on the extent or quality of bushland were available at the time of reporting for the 2008 period. Consequently, bushland has been categorized as agriculture in the current reporting period, as most areas of bushland are located in agricultural zoned lands. It is unlikely that this movement represents an actual decrease in the amount of bushland on the ground in the Shire.
Conservation
The area of land under conservation within the Shire decreased slightly in the current reporting period (see Table 1), after increasing in each of the previous reporting periods. The underpinning reason for the decrease in 2008 remain unclear at this stage in the reporting process.
In 2004, the area of land under conservation increased by approximately 25,600 hectares, partly due to land being transferred from timber production and other Crown lands under the Eden RFA to help develop a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system to protect forest ecosystems and conserve biodiversity. These lands became nature reserves, national parks and 'other conservation' areas. These areas included small areas of freehold (about 1020 hectares) and Crown lands (about 280 hectares) that were converted to national park during the reporting period through the National Parks and Wildlife Service's ongoing reserve acquisition program.
Most of the transferred land became national parks and 'other conservation' areas. New reserves created during the reporting period included Gulaga and Kooraban National Parks and Yurramie State Conservation Area. Additions to existing reserves included Ben Boyd, Bournda, Mimosa Rocks, South East Forest and Wadbilliga National Parks.
Future planning
Council is working on a comprehensive Local Environment Plan for Department of Planning approval and Gazettal in 2009. As part of the plan, Council has also prepared and is also preparing a number of supporting reports and strategies including a consolidated Development Control Plan (BVSC,2005).
About the Data
The landuse maps and statistics reported in this section are based on data from NSW State Government agencies, Councils and satellite images. The primary purpose of the mapping was to assess trends in landuse change and not to provide an accurate account of the actual areas changed.
In general the data provided by Council and State Government departments showed a higher level of detail than satellite classifications. Therefore, these layers were usually used as the primary source of data and supplemented by satellite imagery (Landsat data and SPOT VI data) as needed (mostly for agricultural landuses and bushland).
Bega Valley Shire Council provided Local Environmental Plan and cadastral data and validated the rural residential and future urban zonings (using cadastre to identify subdivisions and ground truthing to see if development had occurred in these areas) to determine actual changes in rural residential and urban landuses between 2000 and 2004.
Rural residential areas mapped in the 2004 landuse layer include areas for which infrastructure is in place (e.g. roads). However with between 30% to 100% of allotments being sold and built on, some of these areas have not yet been populated.
All landuse maps for Bega Valley Shire were provided to Council for checking and correction, particularly for 2004 and 2000.
All percentages shown in this indicator are a percentage of the Shire and not a percentage of the landuse type. The area extents of the various landuse types (hectares) were calculated from data that had been adjusted (normalised) to take account of (usually minor) differences between the size of Bega Valley Shire as gazetted and the size calculated from spatial data.
References
Bega Valley Shire Council (2005) Development Control Plans, Bega Valley Shire Council, viewed 21 October 2008, http://www.begavalley.nsw.gov.au/Planning_Development/dcp/dcp.htm.
