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Landscapes and soils

Soils and landscape data

Soil and land information is vital for land use planning and infrastructure development. Maps of soils landscapes are powerful tools to guide sustainable planning and natural resource management.

Stable, healthy and productive landscapes and soils are essential for producing most of our food, and for maintaining environmental function, managing water quality, sustaining our primary industries, and supporting rural and urban communities.

Our rural landscape is under continuing pressure. Acidification, salinity, erosion, invasive native scrub and loss of native vegetation are seriously affecting the condition of our soil and challenging the communities and industries that depend on the land.

OEH is working with local communities and land managers to collect, interpret and distribute comprehensive information about soils and landscapes, and to support efforts to reverse land degradation resulting from past practices and to protect our natural landscape for future generations.

Strategic regional land use planning

View the baseline soil and land information incorporated into the determination of strategic agricultural land for the Upper Hunter and New England-North West strategic regional land use areas:

• land and soil capability map (SRLUP1_5_LSC_v2_4_120411_A3.pdf, 6MB) and accompanying metadata (SRLUP1_5_LSC_v2_4_metadata_120411.pdf, 142KB)
• OEH 2012, The land and soil capability assessment scheme, second approximation, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney, which describes the rationale, design, detail and application of the classification scheme used in the land and soil capability map.
• draft inherent soil fertility map (SRLUP1_5_Fertility_v1_4_120411_A3.pdf, 6MB) and accompanying metadata (SRLUP_1_5_Fertility_v1_4_Metadata_120411.pdf, 144KB)
• Charman, P.E.V. 1978 (ed.), Soils of New South Wales: Their Characterisation, Classification and Conservation,Tech. Handbook No. 1, Soil Conservation Service of NSW, Sydney (soils_of_nsw_v1_0_120417.pdf, 7.8MB), which provides supporting information for the draft inherent soil fertility map.

   

Find out more

• find soil maps in NSW - including soil and land resources products.  Soil landscape maps and reports and land systems map and report
• get a snapshot of soils in your area from SPADE NRAtlas
• learn more about managing land and soil, and about OEH work in this area
• find acid sulfate soil risk maps of NSW
• get more information about land degradation issues in NSW, including salinity and acid sulfate soils.

Contact us

For inquiries about soil and land in NSW, and the use of soil and land information, email soils@environment.nsw.gov.au.

To view a catalogue or order publications, search for 'soils' on the Shop NSW.