Acid Sulfate Soil (ASS) Priority Management Areas (or'hot spots') are areas where land management decisions in relation to ASS have contributed to, and can lead to further, severe soil and water acidification, poor water quality, reduction in agricultural productivity, loss of estuarine habitat, and/or degraded vegetation and wildlife. ASS Priority Areas have the highest priority for remedial action, and require urgent changes to land management to improve environmental quality. ; ; The criteria for Priority Areas include high ASS risk, low elevation, high drainage efficiency, and severe soil and/or water acidification impacts. ; ; The Priority Area basins account for 54 500 ha. Three such areas have been identified in the Tweed, one near Byron Bay, five in the Richmond, four in the Clarence, five in the Macleay, six in the Hastings - Camden Haven catchments, four in the Manning and one in the Shoalhaven.