Introduction
This section provides an assessment of land use and condition in the ACT. The following indicators are assessed:
For background information on land in the ACT see Background: Land.
Land health impacts and pressures are also discussed in Climate change, Biodiversity, and Water. The ACT’s urban expansion and its impacts are also discussed in 5. Canberra’s urban boundary.
The impacts of the Orroral Valley bushfire on the ACT’s land health is also discussed in 4. Bushfires in the ACT.
Key findings
Key actions
That the ACT Government:
ACTION 1.
Minimise the growth in urban greenfield development by encouraging and providing opportunities for medium and high-density dwellings, and residential infill developments.
ACTION 2.
Ensure current and future greenfield developments incorporate actions to minimise impacts on natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
ACTION 3.
Increase data collection and reporting on land and soil health to address this important data gap in environmental condition assessments.
ACTION 4.
Develop a soils strategy for the ACT that includes routine monitoring for soil health indicators such as erosion, salinity, structure decline, and reductions in organic content.
ACTION 5.
In response to the severe impacts of the Orroral Valley bushfire and post-fire rainfall, undertake actions to improve land health recovery in high priority areas.
Indicator assessments
L1: Land use change
CONDITION
TREND
DATA QUALITY
Although nearly 75% of ACT Government land is zoned for natural ecosystems and greenspace, urban expansion driven by population growth continues to be an environmental challenge. In addition, the ACT’s projected future urban growth does not support a compact and efficient city. To help reduce future urban growth, the ACT is meeting its 70% urban infill target for the number of dwellings constructed, and the proportion of medium and high-density housing is increasing. However, the area of land required for greenfield housing is far greater than the land used for infill developments.
There is a lack of comprehensive data on land use change in the ACT which remains a significant limitation for land use assessments.
L2: Land health
CONDITION
TREND
DATA QUALITY
The Orroral Valley bushfire, and post-fire storms and rainfall, severely affected land health in Namadgi National Park, causing extreme erosion and other soil issues in the burnt area. These have led to a range of environmental impacts such as degraded aquatic ecosystems and damage to infrastructure. Other impacts on land health include climate change, urban developments in greenfield areas, and agriculture on rural lands.
There is a lack of knowledge about land health in the ACT, both for long-term changes and current conditions, meaning that an assessment of land health is not possible. This remains a critical gap in our understanding of environmental condition.
CONDITION
Environmental condition is healthy across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have negligible impact on environmental condition/human health.
Environmental condition is neither positive or negative and may be variable across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have limited impact on environmental condition/human health.
Environmental condition is under significant stress, OR pressure likely to have significant impact on environmental condition/ human health.
Data is insufficient to make an assessment of status and trends.
TREND
DATA QUALITY
Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus.
Limited evidence or limited consensus.
Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment.
Assessments of status, trends and data quality are not appropriate for the indicator.
Click the links below to explore the full analysis of conditions and trends for each indicator
Data summaries
Land use and land use change 2019–20 to 2022–23
- It is currently not possible to accurately determine the actual changes in land use over time. This is a significant limitation for land assessments in the ACT.
- Nearly 75% of ACT Government land is zoned for natural ecosystems (conservation) and greenspace.
- Highly modified urban land uses account for 10% of the ACT, with highly modified rural and broadacre land accounting for 15%.
- In 2023, there were 8,300 hectares of pine plantations in the ACT. In 2022–23, 195 hectares were harvested with a value of nearly $7.4 million. Pine forests are also extensively used and managed for recreational activities.
- The ACT has a relatively small agricultural sector with livestock farms accounting for the majority of rural land. In 2021–22, the ACT’s agricultural production was worth around $26 million.
Urban expansion
- Land development driven by population growth continues to be an environmental challenge for the ACT.
- Between 2006 and 2022, the ACT’s urban area increased from around 22,230 hectares to 24,990 hectares, a growth of 9% or 2,260 hectares (this includes commercial and industrial areas). From 2018 to 2022, the urban area grew by 500 hectares.
- It is estimated that the ACT will need 100,000 new dwellings, along with the construction of associated infrastructure, to accommodate the projected population growth. Estimates suggest there is potential for approximately 28,000 new homes in existing greenfield areas zoned as future urban areas.
- The ACT’s projected future urban growth does not support a compact and efficient city.
- The ratio between the area of urban development and population growth has declined. Between 2016 and 2021 the ACT’s urban area grew by 5.5%, whereas the population grew by 13%.
- In 2021, Canberra had a population density of 1,154 people per square kilometre, the second lowest of the major Australian capital cities (excluding Hobart and Darwin).
- Low density single dwellings remain the dominant form of housing in the ACT, although its proportionate share decreased from 65% of total dwellings in 2016, to 61% in 2021 — a significant drop from 1991 when single dwellings accounted for 80% of total housing.
- High density housing accounted for 21% of the total dwellings in 2021, compared to 17% in 2016. Medium density housing remained unchanged between 2016 and 2021 at 18% of the total dwellings.
- High density and medium density housing are becoming popular housing choices with 13,388 built between 2016 and 2021.
- The average number of people living in each ACT household has decreased from 2.9 people in 1991 to 2.5 in 2021.
- Nearly 45% of ACT dwellings have two or more spare bedrooms and 14% have three or more spare bedrooms.
- There has been a 22% increase in single person households between 2016 and 2021, making single person dwellings the fastest growing household type.
Greenfield versus infill development
- The ACT Planning Strategy 2018 sets a target for up to 70% of new housing to be provided as infill development within the existing urban footprint.
- Between 2015–16 and 2021–22, new housing development met, or was close to meeting, the 70% infill target with annual rates of infill varying from 68% to 81% (average infill rate of 74%).
- However, current calculations of greenfield and infill urban development are only done for the number of dwellings built, including apartments — they do not consider the actual area of land used. Consequently, apartments and other housing that provide a large number of dwellings on a small footprint heavily influence the achievement toward the ACT’s 70% infill target.
- If land area was used, the ACT would not be meeting its 70% infill target because the land required for greenfield developments is much greater than for that used for infill developments.
Land health
- There is a general lack of knowledge about land health in the ACT, both for long-term changes and current conditions. This lack of information does not enable an assessment of land and soil health and remains a critical gap in our understanding of environmental condition.
- Apart from climate change, vegetation loss, urban development in greenfield areas, and agriculture on rural lands, the biggest impact on land health in the ACT has come from the 2020 Orroral Valley bushfire and post-fire severe storms and high rainfall.
- The impacts of the fires on land health in Namadgi National Park include extreme levels of erosion and other soil health issues such as the loss of ground cover. These have led to a range of environmental impacts such as degraded aquatic ecosystems and damage to infrastructure.
- Land health will take many years to recover in areas severely impacted by bushfire. Improvements will be greatly dependent on the recovery of vegetation. Until vegetation cover improves, the land will still be prone to erosion and degraded soil health.
- Up to and including 2022–23, monitoring and reporting activities for the ACT’s contaminated sites were found to comply with the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure.
Management of land in the ACT
During this reporting period the ACT Government conducted a review of the ACT Planning System, which resulted in the repeal of the Planning and Development Act 2007 and its replacement with the new Planning Act 2023. Under this Act, a new Territory Plan was introduced in November 2023. The new ACT Planning System is described as outcomes-focussed, with planning decisions based on the anticipated real-world impacts of developments rather than relying on a tick-box approach. Encouragingly, the new Territory Plan includes Natural environmental conservation and Sustainability and resilience among its key principles. It is not yet possible to determine whether the new planning framework will result in measurable improvements in the ACT’s planning and land management practices.
It is of grave environmental concern that areas designated in the new Territory Plan as Future Urban Area include places known to support threatened ecosystems and species such as Bluett’s Block and grasslands in the north of Canberra. Given the decline in threatened species and ecosystems documented in this report, further development in these areas should not occur.
Related reading
The impacts of greenfield construction on an urban waterway
Impacts of urbanisation on small native mammals at Stromlo East and West
A community perspective on urban encroachment
Tensions between urban infill and urban forest policy objectives
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