Socio-economic impacts of land use change in the Green Triangle and Central Victoria

The report Living with land use change: different views and perspectives has just been released. You can download the report here.

Project background

Continuing land use and socio-economic change has occurred across the Green Triangle and Central Victoria over the past 15 years. In 2000, a team of University of Melbourne researchers examined the socio-economic impacts of land use change in south west Victoria, and identified extensive land use change from grazing to cropping, dairy farming and timber plantations (Petheram et al. 2000). During the 1990s cropping expanded by 143,000 ha, dairy farming by 90,000 ha and blue gum plantations from less than 2,000 ha toapproximately 30,000 ha. Since 2000, land use changes have continued. For example, the area under plantations in the south west is now approximately 100,000 ha while cropping and dairy farming have also continued to expand. In addition, increasing numbers of rural residential dwellers have shifted onto rural land in parts of the region.

The project

Rapid land use change has continued since the 2000 study was undertaken. In 2006, a need was identified for a new project examining the impacts of land use change in the Green Triangle and Central Victoria.  The project was launched in August 2006, and runs until mid-2008. The project analyses the social and economic impacts of change to and from, and within, the following types of land use, all of which have been occurring in recent years in the Green Triangle and Central Victoria (in alphabetical order):

Results of the study will be made publicly available, so they will be accessible to anyone with an interest in land use change issues, including those who are making decisions and policy related to land use change.

This project follows up the 2000 study, and extends it to cover a larger geographic area from Colac-Otway, Victoria, in the east of the study region, to Robe in the lower south east of South Australia, as shown in the map below.

There are many opportunities available to members of the community to have input into the project. So far, members of the community in the region have participated in focus groups (in September 2006), and an online form is available here which we encourage you to use to contribute your views on land use change in the region.

The project includes four major research components:

1. Attitudes and values survey.

An attitudes and values survey was undertaken in May-June 2007, with surveys sent to around 3,000 people across the region. The survey examines the ways people perceive different land uses within the region. This information will help us to develop an in-depth understanding of attitudes, values and perceptions of residents of the region about the following types of land use change:

• Land use change to blue gum plantations
• Land use change to cropping
• Land use change to dairy farming
• Land use change to rural residential/lifestyle farming

The survey topics and questions were developed with the input of participants in eight focus groups held in September 2006, as well as the project Advisory Group (for more information on the focus groups, see our first newsletter; for more information on the Advisory Group please refer to the Project governance page.
For more information on the methodology being used in this and other parts of the study, check out the project methods page.

This part of the project examines the question 'what impacts have land use changes had on social and economic characteristics of the region?' Independent data from sources such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics are being used to analyse key land use and socio-economic changes in the Green Triangle & Central Victoria since 1991, and the extent to which different types of land use change are lin­ked to social and economic change in different parts of the region. It will draw on data from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing as they become available to ensure the results are as up-to-date as possible.

Data will also be collected directly to compare the employment and spending generated by different land uses in the region. In April 2007, a workshop was held with a group of experts with in-depth knowledge of the beef grazing, cropping, dairy, plantation, sheep grazing, and viticulture industries. This workshop began developing a framework for comparing employment and spending generated by these industries in the region. A report detailing the framework to be used will be available for download soon.

Topics to be studied in this part of the project were identified using input from focus groups held in the region in September 2006, as well as advice from the project Advisory Group. In late 2007, local community members with in-depth knowledge of the changes occurring in their area will be asked to participate in focus groups in which they will assist researchers in interpreting the data produced for this part of the project.

A survey of landholders in 2007 will identify why and when landholders choose to sell or lease their properties for plantation forestry, and where they go when they leave their properties.