Catchment scale land use of Australia and commodities – Update December 2023

Version 2 minor revision 27 June 2024.

This is the latest compilation of land use mapping information for Australia’s regions as at December 2023. The land use data are supported by a supplementary commodities dataset, containing extra information on the location of select predominantly agricultural commodities. These datasets replace the previous 2020 December updates. 
Version 2 fixes issues caused during the conversion of the state vector datasets to rasters, where single pixel horizontal lines were generated in local areas. This does not affect the date or scale of mapping.

These data were compiled by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) from vector land use datasets collected as part of state and territory mapping programs and other authoritative sources through the Australian Collaborative Land Use and Management Program (ACLUMP). These datasets are not recommended for change analysis or for national land use statistics—instead use the Land use of Australia 2010-11 to 2015-16.

About the Catchment Scale Land Use of Australia – Update December 2023 spatial dataset:

A seamless raster dataset that combines land use vector data for all state and territory jurisdictions, at a spatial resolution of 50 by 50 metres.
Shows a single dominant land use for each location, based on the management objective of the land manager (as identified by state and territory agencies).
Updates have been made to New South Wales, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria, the capital city of Adelaide, parts of the Great Barrier Reef NRM regions, and national updates to select horticultural tree crops and protected cropping structures. There are also minor corrections to Western Australia, and more accurate representation of mining areas in South Australia.  
The date of mapping (2008 to 2023) and scale of mapping (1:5,000 to 1:250,000) vary and are provided as supporting datasets. 
Produced by combining land tenure and other types of land use information, fine-scale satellite data and information collected in the field. 
Refer to the metadata and ABARES website for additional information.
 
About the Catchment Scale Land Use of Australia – Commodities – Update December 2023 spatial dataset:
- Provides location, extent and year verified for 185 commodities, where mapped, as a vector dataset. 
- Commodity data are validated in the field and using other sources.
- Generally, a single commodity is shown at a location reflecting the most recent date that location was verified.
- The location of a commodity may change on a seasonal to annual basis, depending on factors such as climate, markets or farming systems.
- Not nationally complete or comprehensive, and with various dates of capture (1967 to 2023) and input mapping products (2014 to 2023). 
- Refer to the metadata for additional information.

Citation
- Land use: ABARES 2024, Catchment Scale Land Use of Australia – Update December 2023 version 2, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra, June, CC BY 4.0, DOI: 10.25814/2w2p-ph98
- Commodities: ABARES 2024, Catchment Scale Land Use of Australia – Commodities – Update December 2023, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra, February CC BY 4.0. DOI: 10.25814/zfjz-jt75

Tags: ACLUMP, AGRICULTURE Mapping, Agriculture, Australian Collaborative Land Use And Management Program, Land, Land Survey, Land Use, Land Use Classification, Land use maps
Organization: Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences