Land Suitability Analysis of the Shire of Moorabool
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DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES F grow west Land Suitability Analysis of the Shire of Moorabool Grow West – Land Suitability Analysis of the Shire of Moorabool Published by the Victorian Government Department of Primary Industries Landscape Systems Primary Industries Research Victoria 621 Sneydes Road Werribee Victoria 3030 Australia © The State of Victoria, Department of Primary Industries, 2006. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government 1 Spring Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia ISBN - TBA Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. This publication is copyright. However, DPI encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Department is clearly acknowledged. For further information, visit the DPI Website at http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au or contact the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186 Land Suitability Analysis of the Shire of Moorabool Prepared by Carys Evans Yingxin Wu Victor A. Sposito 2006 Department of Primary Industries Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRVic) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks are extended to the Moorabool Shire Council for allowing the incorporation of data and information generated, as part of previous work undertaken for the Moorabool Growth Management Strategy (MGMS), by staff from the (former) Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) through Agriculture Victoria Services Pty Ltd. It should be noted that the MGMS has not been formally adopted by Council. Many thanks also go to Jennifer Sheridan, Grow West Project Officer for her support during the development of the study. Main Contributors to the Grow West Land Suitability Analysis of the Shire of Moorabool Carys Evans, Strategic Spatial Analyst (DPI) Yingxin Wu, Natural Resources & GIS Analyst (DPI) Victor Sposito, Principal Research Scientist (DPI) Main Contributors to the Moorabool Growth Management Strategy Victor Sposito, Project Director and Section Leader (DNRE) Adam Hood, Senior Policy Analyst (DNRE) Chamilka Jayawardana, Regional Economic Planner (DNRE) Stephen Cook, Natural Resources & GIS Analyst (DNRE) Hemayet Hossain, Senior Natural Resources & GIS Analyst (DNRE) Larissa Tiller, Natural Resources Analyst (DNRE) Steve Ryan, Soil Scientist & GIS Analyst (DNRE) Adam Skelton, GIS Analyst (DNRE) Jack Green, Director Shire Development (Moorabool Shire Council) Phil Steer, Manager Strategic Planning (Moorabool Shire Council) Jason Taylor, Statutory Planner (Moorabool Shire Council) i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Moorabool Shire Council occupies a strategic position in the Port Phillip and Corangamite Regions, State of Victoria, Australia, because of its community and enterprises, natural resources and environment, as well as its geographic location on the outskirts of metropolitan Melbourne. The “Moorabool Growth Management Strategy” (MGMS) provided a basis for the Grow West Land Suitability Analysis of the Shire of Moorabool, which updates the former document and incorporates two new land suitability models for the region – proteas and horses. Chapter 1 of this report presents an overview of the Moorabool Shire outlining characteristics of the region including its biophysical environment, transport and infrastructure and economic situation. The planning context for the region is also reviewed at a range of scales. Chapter 2 examines the Shire’s economy with a focus on natural resource based industries, specifically agriculture which dominates the regions economy and land use activity. Chapter 3 outlines the innovative Land Suitability Analysis (LSA) method applied across Moorabool to evaluate the suitability of land for specific commodities. The method draws upon three ecosystem components of soil, climate, and landscape and integrates them using Multi-Criteria Evaluation Methods and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Chapter 4 presents the land suitability overlays produced from both the MGMS and the current project. Land suitability maps are produced for ten groups of agricultural commodities: brassicas, potatoes, olives, pastures, pome fruits, lavender, buckwheat, winter wheat, radiata pine and proteas, as well as horses. Composite mapping also produced an index of suitability for the agricultural production of the broad range of commodities. Chapter 5 focuses on the biophysical analysis of Moorabool, which is illustrated with environmental overlays in order to highlight risks to resource use. This chapter examines key environmental characteristics of the region’s ecological vegetation class (EVC) mapping, threatened flora and fauna; water quality and availability; salinity risk scenarios for the years 2020 and 2050; groundwater flows; floodways and flood extents; and soil erosion due to water. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................ I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...............................................................................II 1. BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OBJECTIVES ................................................1 2. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................2 2.1 THE MOORABOOL SHIRE: AN OVERVIEW ......................................................2 2.2 NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL VISION AND THEMES.......................................3 National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP) and National Heritage Trust (NHT) ......................................................................................3 CMA Regional Catchment Strategies ........................................................4 Melbourne Metropolitan Strategy: Melbourne 2030......................................4 Victorian Local Sustainability Accord .......................................................5 Werribee Plains: A Vision for Sustainable Growth........................................5 Moorabool Municipal Strategic Statement .................................................5 Council Plan for Moorabool Shire: 2005-2009 .............................................6 2.3 ECONOMIC SITUATION ........................................................................7 Employment in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing ........................................8 Economic Contribution of Primary Industries ........................................... 10 2.4 TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE ......................................................... 16 3. LAND SUITABILITY ANALYSIS .............................................................. 20 3.1 LAND SUITABILITY ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY ............................................... 20 3.2 BIOPHYSICAL SUITABILITY OF SELECTED CROPS............................................. 21 Selection of Commodities................................................................... 21 Source Data: Layers for the Application of the AHP ................................... 22 4. LAND SUITABILITY MAPS.................................................................... 24 4.1 BRASSICA AND ARTICHOKE.................................................................. 24 Brassica and Artichoke: Criteria for Growth ............................................ 24 Brassica and Artichoke Suitability Across Moorabool Shire ........................... 25 4.2 POME FRUIT ................................................................................ 27 Pome Fruit: Criteria for Growth........................................................... 27 Pome Fruit Suitability Across Moorabool Shire.......................................... 28 4.3 POTATO .................................................................................... 30 Potato: Criteria for Growth ................................................................ 30 Potato Suitability for Moorabool Shire ................................................... 31 4.4 LAVENDER .................................................................................. 33 Lavender: Criteria for Growth ............................................................. 33 Lavender Suitability for Moorabool Shire ................................................ 33 4.5 OLIVES ..................................................................................... 36 Olives: Criteria for Growth ................................................................. 36 Olives Suitability for Moorabool Shire.................................................... 36 4.6 BUCKWHEAT................................................................................ 39 Buckwheat: Criteria for Growth ........................................................... 39 Buckwheat Suitability for Moorabool Shire .............................................. 40 4.7 WINTER WHEAT ............................................................................ 42 Winter Wheat: Criteria for Growth ....................................................... 42 Winter Wheat Suitability for Moorabool Shire .......................................... 43 4.8 PASTURE: PERENNIAL RYEGRASS/WHITE CLOVER .......................................... 45 Perennial Ryegrass-White Clover: Criteria for Growth ................................ 45 Perennial