Tocal Code of Landuse Practice
The Code of Landuse Practice attempts to record a philosophy or approach to land use that leads to sustainability - defined here as 'getting the best production from the land without limiting chances for future generations to do the same'.
Tocal aims to be a role model for rural industry, seeking to implement best management practices for agricultural land use. It is important to remember that Tocal feels the same market forces as other farms. We must always consider the 'triple bottom line' of economic, social and environmental responsibility. Sustainable land use practices will help meet each of these aims - in fact there are many examples that show that farmers can improve their productivity and profit by adopting whole farm plans aimed at sustainability. Tocal aims to be such an example.
In this section we will consider the management of natural resources, pollution control, conserving our cultural heritage and landscape values with an attitude of stewardship towards the resources rather than ownership. For each of the areas management policies are identified, the necessary actions and their current status.
Land management is a dynamic, ongoing process. Priorities change, and we all learn from experience and new research. This can be used to inform and update the Property Plan and this Code of Practice. Continuing monitoring and review is the only way that these documents will stay valid and relevant. Management decisions must work towards sustainable land use in a conscious and deliberate way.
Management objectives and actions have also been indentified for each of the landscape units and are listed under 'Landscapes on Tocal'
The information contained in this section is taken from the publication Tocal Code of Landuse Practice. The publication contains more detail about the implementation of the policies presented here.