Australian Land Use and Management classification
The Australian Land Use and Management classification (ALUM) is based on a classification developed by Baxter and Russell (1994) for the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and emphasises the level of intervention in the landscape. It has since been revised and refined in a series of national reviews.
ALUM has a three-level hierarchical structure (PDF)* , with six primary classes. Five primary classes are identified in order of increasing levels of intervention or potential impact on the natural landscape.Water is included separately as a sixth primary class. Under the three-level hierarchical structure, the minimum attribution level for land use mapping in Queensland is shown in grey.
Primary and secondary levels relate to land use (i.e. the principal use of the land in terms of the objectives of the land manager). The tertiary level includes data on commodities or vegetation, (e.g. crops such as cereals and oil seeds). Where required and possible, attribution is performed to tertiary level.
The latest ALUM Classification Scheme, Version 6 can be accessed on the Bureau of Rural Sciences site.
For more information on the classification scheme and related issues see: Land Use Mapping at Catchment Scale – class definitions and agreed procedures and specifications for land use mapping.
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Last updated: 20 August 2008