Land use information for integrated natural resources management—a coordinated national mapping program for Australia

Land use has profound effects on soil, vegetation and water resources. In Australia, land use information has a critical role to play in developing effective responses to natural resource management problems such as salinity, water quality and the maintenance of biodiversity—at national, regional and local levels. This calls for strategic collation and delivery of land use mapping. This paper describes key elements of a nationally coordinated land use mapping program in Australia, including mapping scales, procedures, and technical and scientific challenges. Case study examples of the discrimination and reporting of land use change are presented. Discussion points to the need to tailor analyses of land use change to dynamics that are relevant to management issues and key biophysical and human drivers of change. Four broad approaches to measuring and reporting land use change are suggested and future developments identified. The Australian Collaborative Land Use Mapping Program is presented as a successful collaborative model for the production of nationally consistent land use information.