Land economy is concerned with the management and development of land and property, in an economical and sustainable manner, and involves a range of disciplines which form the basis of a number of professional specialisms. It covers:

• advice on policies relating to land ownership, land use, land reform and related aspects of national development programmes.
• Land use planning, land transactions, and project implementation, including advice on the sourcing of development finance.
• The development and management of rural and agricultural land, the development of mineral resources and advice on terms of occupation or disposal of land.
• The development of urban land, the provision and updating of buildings for residential, industrial or commercial purposes; and the management of land and buildings, including handling property transactions, valuation of property, auctioneering, building surveying, building maintenance and facilities management.

The professional land economy surveyor must comprehend the fundamentals of land law, economic and social analysis and the primary technologies of agriculture, forestry and building science. He or she must have a working knowledge of the legal, economic and financial considerations, which contribute to the making of sound plans for sustainable land use and development and their practical realisation. This emphasises the vital contribution which the professional surveyor can make to positive planning and the best use of land and natural resources, especially in developing countries.

The Valuation of land and property is also required for a wide range of purposes including sale, purchase, leasing, mortgage, insurance and taxation; expropriation, betterment or injurious affection caused by planning or public works; and development including the extraction of minerals

Similarly, rural and urban land administration - whether at the macro level of managing the public estate or the micro level of managing property on behalf of its owners (whether public authorities, business institutions or private individuals) - also contributes to the prudent deployment of natural resources and the optimum use and development of land. Management includes the negotiation of acquisition and disposal of land and property; the promotion and execution of development; afforestation and mining operations; and advice on land taxation, land consolidation, the relationships of landlord and tenant and the law affecting the construction, use and occupation of buildings. Advice is given on the value and economic use of property, its design, extension and refurbishment

In the case of Marine Resource Management, increasing world requirements for food, minerals, energy and space cannot be sustained indefinitely by using the earth’s land surface alone. Therefore, in this field, there is a need to comprehend the ocean environment and the sciences and technologies relevant to the exploitation of marine resources, and to have a working knowledge of relevant international and national laws, the principles and methodologies of resource exploration and development, and the impact of development on the biological environment. The surveyor giving such advice will replicate, in a maritime context, the knowledge and understanding which the land economy surveyor has of the sciences and technologies relevant to operations on land.