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| Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbook | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbook |
| Author | Multiple authors |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Soil survey; Land evaluation |
| Publisher | Australian academic and governmental publishers |
| Pub date | Various editions |
| Media type | Print; Digital |
| Pages | Varies |
Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbook
The Australian Soil and Land Survey Handbook is a practical manual used for soil science field survey and land evaluation across Australia. It provides standardized procedures that inform work by agencies such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), state departments like New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (Queensland), and academic programs at institutions such as Australian National University and University of Melbourne. The Handbook has guided applications in projects linked to Landcare initiatives, regional planning for the Murray–Darling Basin, and environmental assessments for sites tied to the Great Barrier Reef catchments.
The Handbook synthesizes field protocols for mapping soil morphology, classifying profiles, and recording landscape attributes used by practitioners from CSIRO to the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. It bridges procedures adopted in comparative studies associated with the International Union of Soil Sciences and techniques referenced in curricula at the University of Sydney, Monash University, and University of Queensland. The text situates Australian practice within frameworks comparable to those employed by the United States Department of Agriculture and methods cited in reports to the United Nations Environment Programme.
Early editions emerged from collaborations among researchers affiliated with CSIRO divisions and state survey offices in the 1960s and 1970s, reflecting influences from manuals produced by the Soil Survey Division (USDA) and the Commonwealth Department of National Development. Later revisions involved editorial oversight linked to university departments at University of Adelaide and University of New England (Australia), and were distributed through presses including the Australian Government Publishing Service and university presses. Successive editions incorporated input from participants at conferences such as the Australasian Soil and Plant Analysis Conference and workshops involving bodies like the Australian Academy of Science.
The Handbook prescribes methods for profile description, horizon delineation, texture estimation, and chemical sampling used on landscapes from the Nullarbor Plain to the Tasmanian Wilderness. It standardizes attributes recorded for pedons, slope, and drainage that are compatible with datasets produced for regional programs such as the National Cooperative Soil Survey and the Australian Soil Resources Information System. Method sections reference analytical techniques practiced in laboratories associated with the CSIRO Land and Water division and sampling protocols taught in field courses at James Cook University. The Handbook also outlines mapping scales and legend conventions that facilitate integration with maps produced by agencies like Geoscience Australia and state geological surveys such as the Geological Survey of Queensland.
Major contributors include staff from CSIRO, academics from University of Western Australia and University of Tasmania, and officers from state services including the Department of Primary Industries (Victoria) and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Professional societies such as the Soil Science Australia and international partners like the International Union of Soil Sciences and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have influenced content. Collaborative input has also come from regional research centres linked to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Land and Water and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.
The Handbook underpins land capability studies for agricultural zones in the Riverina and Western Australia Wheatbelt, informs rehabilitation efforts after mining in regions like the Pilbara, and supports environmental impact assessments for projects connected to the Bass Strait and Sydney Basin. It has been cited in state soil survey series, technical reports prepared for agencies such as the Northern Territory Government and the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, and used by consultants contributing to programs funded by the Australian Research Council. Its methods have supported interdisciplinary studies intersecting with work at institutes like the CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and the Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments.
Critiques of the Handbook have addressed the need to integrate indigenous land management knowledge exemplified by collaborations with communities involved in the Indigenous Protected Areas program and calls to update protocols to reflect advances in pedometrics and digital soil mapping used by groups at University College London and Wageningen University & Research. Additional revisions have been proposed to better link Handbook descriptors with national data standards overseen by bodies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and to align terminology with international taxonomies promoted by the International Union of Soil Sciences and the Food and Agriculture Organization.