Forestry lands in decline in residential-focused Queensland

Forestry lands in decline in residential-focused Queensland
Staff reporterDecember 7, 2020

The ABS has for the first time released new information showing changes in land values, use and cover for the state of Queensland.

It showed that total land in Queensland covered approximately 173.0 million hectares.

IT had a total unimproved land value of $721.5 billion as at 30 June 2016, up 16% from $621.4 billion as at 30 June 2011, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

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Forestry lands in decline in residential-focused Queensland

"The increase in total unimproved land value was largely driven by a 25% increase in the value of Residential land from $415.0 billion in 2011 to $518.7 billion in 2016," said Mike Booth, Director of Environmental Accounts Development at the ABS.

"Similarly Residential land area also increased 18% between 2011 and 2016. This increase in land area was largely at the expense of primary production land use types, including a net increase of 22,087 hectares to Residential land from Livestock Grazing land."

The area of Waterbodies and Wetlands land cover showed an overall decrease of 191,231 hectares (or 18%) and 512,344 hectares (or 48%) between the two intervals 2010-2011 and 2014-2015 respectively.

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Forestry lands in decline in residential-focused Queensland

"These decreases in Waterbodies and Wetlands land cover are likely related to an overall decrease in total rainfall across these same accounting periods, as reported by the Bureau of Meteorology," said Mr Booth.

Summary data on land use, land cover and land parcels has been produced for Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2s) within Queensland for this publication.

"This data provides users an opportunity to explore stocks and changes in land for small geographical regions," explained Mr Booth.

The publication also presents a Feature Article which accounts for land changes within the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region.

This information will provide a foundation for the ABS Experimental Environmental-Economic Accounts for the Great Barrier Reef due for release in August 2017.

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Forestry lands in decline in residential-focused Queensland

QUEENSLAND'S LAND AT A GLANCE

  • The State of Queensland covers approximately 173 million hectares.
  • Total unimproved land value in Queensland increased by around $100 billion from $621.4 billion to $721.5 billion between 2011 and 2016.
  • 'Residential' was the highest valued land use in Queensland with an unimproved land value of $415.0 billion and $518.7 billion in 2011 and 2016.
  • 'Livestock Grazing' was the most dominant land use type by area in Queensland with 144.2 million and 143.8 million hectares in 2011 and 2016.
  • 'Grasslands' was the most dominant broad land cover type by area in Queensland with 84.6 million and 82.3 million hectares in 2010-2011 and 2014-2015.
  • 'Woodland' was the most dominant detailed land cover type by area in Queensland in 2010-2011 with 35.6 million hectares, while 'Spare Vegetation' was the most dominant in 2014-2015 with 53.3 million hectares.

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