LAND USE
Land use in the catchment can be divided into three broad areas based on
physiology. Both irrigated and non-irrigated intensive agriculture, in
particular beef production, dominate the coastal plain. Almost the entire
coastal area has been cleared for agricultural, mining or urban land use.
Conserved areas and cropping dominate the catchment, particularly on the
Darling Plateau.
Land use on the coastal plain is dominated by Cattle for beef occupying
46% of the EPP (2000) catchment. Dairying, which occurs mainly in the
Harvey catchment makes up 9%, while Semi-rural/Urban areas and Horse
plots, which are mainly located in the Serpentine catchment, take up a further
5.4% and 4.1% of the area respectively. An additional 10% of the EPP (2000)
area is set aside for conservation or is undeveloped.
Major Landuse Types in the Peel-Harvey Catchment (Bussemaker, 2004)
| Conservation and Natural Environments |
5043 |
42.2% |
| Cropping |
4488 |
37.6% |
| Cattle For Beef |
1105 |
9.3% |
| Horticulture |
357 |
3.0% |
| Cattle for Dairy |
256 |
2.1% |
| Urban |
242 |
2.0% |
| Other Livestock |
153 |
1.3% |
| Semi-rural/Urban |
111 |
0.9% |
| Mining |
107 |
0.9% |
| Other |
81 |
0.7% |
Major Land use Types on the Peel-Harvey EPP Coastal Plain Catchment
(Laval et al, 2004)
| Remnant Vegetation |
25 |
| Grazing |
|
| Cattle for Beef |
42 |
| Cattle for Dairy |
8 |
| Mixed Grazing |
4 |
| Feedlots |
1 |
| Mining |
3 |
| Horses |
3 |
| Cropping |
<1 |
| Horticulture |
2 |
| Plantation |
1 |
| Urban |
3 |
| Peri Urban |
5 |
| Piggery |
<1 |
| Other – poultry, processing |
<1 |
| Total Area (km2) |
2556 |
Land use by area for the P-H Coastal Plain EPP Catchment (Laval
et al, 2004)
The Darling Scarp can be divided into two separate land use regions:
The majority of the western portion is uncleared and protected as either
national parks or drinking water catchments although some mining activities
are carried out in this area.
The eastern portion is dominated by extensive agriculture in the form of
cropping. Some conservation areas are found in the area 25 kilometres north-west
of Narrogin. All of the eastern agricultural area drains to the Murray River
while the upper Serpentine and Harvey Catchments contain large water supply
catchments and are mostly forested.
