Gundagai
Indicator: Land Use
Results for this indicator are also available for [an error occurred while processing this directive]
What the results tell us for Gundagai
Maps of land use in | 1997 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 (see below)
At the time of reporting, there was no current landuse data available for the Gundagai Shire Council for the 2008 reporting period. As such, it is unknown whether there have been any major landuse changes in the Shire since 2004.
In 2004, the main landuse in Gundagai Shire was agriculture, which comprised 84% of the total Shire. Bushland and timber production were the other major landuses, comprising some 8% and 6% of the Shire respectively.
How is the land being used now?
As reported in 2004, of the total Shire (245,430 hectares), the dominant landuses at the end of the previous reporting period were agriculture (84%), bushland (8%) and timber production (6%) (see Figure 1). Gundagai township, which covered 1% of the total Shire, comprised the majority of urban land.
Figure 1. Major landuse in Gundagai Shire , June 2004
Source: Gundagai State of the Environment Report 2004
What has changed and why?
In the previous reporting period that no major broadscale changes in landuse had occurred within the Shire between 1997 and 2004 (see Table 1). There were, however, a number of small-scale changes over this period that included a decrease in agricultural land and an increase in conservation land. With no available landuse data for the current reporting period, it is unknown whether there have been major landuse changes since the 2004 report.
| Landuse Category | 1997 | 2000 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 85% | 85% | 84% |
| Bushland | 8% | 8% | 8% |
| Conservation | 0.04% | 0.04% | 1% |
| Quarries | -% | -% | -% |
| Timber production | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Urban | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Waterbodies | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
Source: Gundagai State of the Environment Report 2004
Agriculture
No current agriculture landuse data was available for the Shire for the 2008 reporting period.
The total area of land under agriculture has remained relatively stable since 1997. It was noted in the 2004 reporting period that the amount of land under agricultural production decreased slightly. This was predominantly due to an area of agricultural land in the east of the Shire being converted to private pine plantation.
Timber production
No current timber landuse data was available for Gundagai Shire for the 2008 reporting period.
The area of land under timber production within the Shire has remained relatively stable since 1997 (see Table 1). In 2004 State Forest in the Shire decreased by about 2,600 hectares. About 900 hectares was transferred from Forests New South Wales (NSW) to the Department of Environment and Conservation, as part of the Southern Regional Forest Agreement (Southern RFA), to be managed for conservation. The remaining 1,700 hectares were rezoned to Forest Management Zone 1 and dedicated as Old Jerimiah Flora Reserve. This reserve is still managed by Forests NSW but for the protection of its 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.
Bushland
No current landuse data relating to bushland was available for Gundagai Shire for the current reporting period.
The area of land in the Shire classified as bushland has remained relatively stable since 1997 (see Table 1). As noted in 2004, the area of bushland in the Shire decreased slightly by 100 hectares, due partially to 60 hectares of bushland being dedicated within Ellerslie Nature Reserve (i.e. being categorised as ‘conservation’). The remainder was comprised of small, isolated bushland patches that were cleared for private pine plantations.
Conservation
No current landuse data relating to conservation was available for Gundagai Shire for the current reporting period.
During the 2004 reporting period, the area of land under conservation increased by about 2,640 hectares, partially due to land being transferred from timber production and other Crown lands under the Southern RFA (see Timber production above) to help develop a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system to protect forest ecosystems and conserve biodiversity. The transferred land became nature reserves and 'other conservation' areas. A new reserve—Ellerslie Nature Reserve—was created during the reporting period.
Future planning
In 2004, it was reported that Shire Council was developing a comprehensive Local Environment Plan for the Shire.
About the data
The landuse maps and statistics reported in this section are based on data from NSW State Government agencies, Shire 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.
Gundagai Shire Council provided cadastre data. In general the data provided by Shire 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).
All landuse maps for Gundagai Shire were provided to Shire 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 areal 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 Gundagai Shire as gazetted by Shire Council, and the size calculated from spatial data.
References
Keenan, RJ, Parsons, M, Gerrand, A, O'Loughlin, E, Beavis, S, Gunawardana, D, Gavran, M and Bugg, A (2004) Plantations and Water Use: a review prepared for the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation, project no. PN04.4005, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra, viewed 7 February 2005, http://affashop.gov.au/PdfFiles/12974_plantations_water.pdf.
Schirmer, J, Parsons, M, Charalambou, C and Gavran, M (2005) Socio-economic Impacts of Plantation Forestry in the South West Slopes of NSW, 1991 to 2004, report produced for Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation, project no PN04.4007, Bureau of Rural Sciences, Canberra.
