Guidelines for land use mapping in Australia: principles, procedures and definitions: a technical handbook supporting the Australian Collaborative Land Use Mapping Programme, 3rd ed

Land use and land management practice information is needed in order to develop effective responses to Australia?s natural resource management problems, including salinity and water quality, rates of soil erosion, acidification, nutrient decline and carbon losses. At the catchment scale, land use information is contributing to the assessment of agricultural productivity and opportunities for agricultural diversification, land value determination, local and regional planning, pest and disease control and emergency response planning. National scale land use information is helping to monitor resource condition and identify priority areas for investment. The Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) is collaborating with Australian Government and state and territory government agencies in the Australian Collaborative Land Use Mapping Programme (ACLUMP) to develop consistent land use and land management practice digital datasets for Australia. The handbook provides technical information to support land use mapping programmes in Australia at the national, state and regional levels. It is also the primary reference for the Australian Land Use and Management (ALUM) Classification, describing the concepts and principles that underpin the classification, presenting definitions that apply to the current version (v 6), and providing guidance in its application.