That's why I'm leading WWF-Australia's work to help our country transition from a global deforestation hotspot to a world leader in reforestation and ecological restoration. The report says the comprehensive failure of the federal government to crack down on illegal clearing has limited the effectiveness of Australian environmental laws in protecting some habitats. Your information is being handled in accordance with the. Australia is the only developed nation on the list of the world's deforestation hotspots, according to a new report by WWF, previously known as the World Wildlife Fund. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. But the Liberal state government came to power in 2014 on a promise to revive the Tasmanian forestry industry, and soon after their election, reclassified around 400,000 hectares of forest designated as "future reserve land" to "future potential production forest". Rounding out the bottom of the top, as it were, are Ecuador, Liberia, and Haiti, all of which have witnessed 22% declines in forest cover since 1990. But currently, none of the big supermarkets and fast food chains can guarantee that the beef they source and sell is free of deforestation. The total area of land cleared in Queensland was 2,446,600 hectares. In 2019, the tropics lost close to 30 soccer fields' worth of trees every single minute. According to the report, expansion of commercial agriculture and tree plantations are the biggest drivers of deforestation around the world. Land clearing in Australia: How does your state (or territory) compare? The interim report called for an independent regulator that would be responsible for enforcing and monitoring compliance with the law. Australia's native forests provide a range of wood and non-wood products that are used by Australians in their everyday lives. In NSW, the Berejiklian government weakened land-clearing rules in 2017 and habitat destruction has since increased. Calling on big business to source and sell products free from deforestation. Like Tasmania, native forest logging in Victoria has been responsible for clearing a relatively small area compared to agriculture. Australia's Commercial plantations are a major source of commercial wood products. Native forests are categorised in Australia's National Forest Inventory into eight national forest types named after their key genus or structural form: Acacia, Callitris, Casuarina, Eucalypt, Mangrove, Melaleuca, Rainforest, and Other native forest (which includes a range of minor native forest types that are named after their dominant genera, including Agonis, Atalaya, Banksia, Hakea, Grevillea, Heterodendron, Leptospermum, Lophostemon and Syncarpia). Its An MCG-sized area of forest and bush is bulldozed every 86 seconds in Australia. Want more science plus health, environment, tech and more? The sections below are key background information to reporting in Australia's State of the Forests Reportand related information on the Forests Australia website.SeeAustralia's State of the Forests Reportfor detailed information on Australia's forests. Globally, commercial agriculture and tree plantations were identified as the biggest drivers of deforestation. This map shows Australia's forests in the National Reserve System, by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) protected area category: PNG [0.8 MB], PDF [2.5 MB]. The Queensland government's own data shows what a massive problem deforestation is in the state. He estimated that in Queensland and NSW alone 970,349ha were cleared in the years 2004 to 2017. Additional references: State of the Environment report 2021, We recognise First Nations as the custodians of land and water across Australia and pay our respects to Elders past and present. Australian's have a huge appetite for shopping. But critics say this does not represent what is happening in our forests from a wildlife conservation or carbon storage perspective. "Deforestation in Australia took a marked downturn from 2004 to 2009. A total of 177,900 hectares were cleared in Victoria, with 16,300 of that classified as forest over 30 years old. Building a case for rehabilitation funding as a climate solution. Of this total forest area, determined as at 2016, 132 million hectares (98%) are 'Native forests', 1.95 million hectares are 'Commercial plantations' and 0.47 million hectares are 'Other forest'. This map shows the extent and distribution of Australia's forests by tenure: PNG [0.9 MB], PDF [3.6 MB]. In that case, the data would show no net loss in forest cover, despite a significant deficit of habitat occurring. In addition to the NFPS and the RFAs, the Australian Government has a number of key forest policies to achieve key conservation and management outcomes for Australias forest and forest industries. This map shows the location of Australia's commercial hardwood and softwood plantations and the boundaries of National Plantation Inventory (NPI) regions: PNG [0.7 MB], PDF [1.4 MB]. Operation Artemis: Colombia's failed military operation to stop deforestation. The 202223 October Portfolio Budget Statements were released on 25 October 2022. ('Primary' refers to forests 30 years and older. "It's ridiculous to say there is more forest [now than 10 years ago]," he said. View an interactive version of this map in ArcGIS Online map viewer. A new report from the World Wide Fund for Nature names eastern Australia among 24 global deforestation fronts - the only developed nation on the list. How you can save the fate of our Australian forests with one signature Again, the lion's share of that regrowth 2.7 million hectares has reportedly happened in Queensland, and to a lesser extent in New South Wales. Intensive palm oil production is also creating all kinds of environmental fall-out, including air, soil and water pollution, and soil erosion. This map shows the distribution of burnt forest in areas of northern and southern Australia, by the number of times each hectare was burnt in the period 201112 to 201516: PNG [1.3 MB], PDF [1.3MB]. But the National Greenhouse Accounts (NGA) figures for Queensland show only 304,000 and 254,400 hectares were cleared for the 2017 and 2018 periods almost 190,000 hectares less. News, research and analysis of ESG integration factors for ASX listed companies and investors, * Mandatory fields. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is committing almost three quarters of its Australian Recycling Investment Fund to develop a flagship construction and demolition (C&D) recycling facility in Queensland. State and territory governments have primary responsibility for forest management. We can even reverse our emissions in the process. Learn more about these deforestation hotspots. Deforestation and logging in Australia: an assault on wildlife - in Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the It expands on a 2015 report by WWF which named 11 hotspots, with eastern Australia also appearing on that list. But Dr Taylor from the WWF disputes that. Mangroves on the move. (We will update these figures to reflect the new stats for 2019-20 as soon as possible.). This map shows the distribution of the Indigenous forest estate, by land ownership and management category for northern Australia: PNG [1.2 MB], PDF [0.8 MB]. The report warns that nearly half of the standing forests in the 24 deforestation fronts have suffered some type of fragmentation and trends suggest clearing will persist unless countries act to protect them. Check out 10 facts about deforestation in Australia Note: The names of the national native forest types have capitalised initial letters (e.g. The Deforestation Fronts report offers an in-depth analysis of 24 'deforestation fronts' around the globe, from Latin America to Africa and Asia. We acknowledge sovereignty was never ceded.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that this website may contain images, names and voices of people who are deceased. This map shows the distribution of the Callitris native forest type across Australia: PNG [1.9 MB], PDF [0.5 MB]. A law passed by the European Parliament requires companies working in cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, rubber, soy and wood to demonstrate their products aren't sourced to deforested land or . That will not change until we see rates of destruction go down, he said. Once native forest logging emissions are included, this is equivalent to at least half the carbon pollution of all Australian coal-fired power stations., Increasing demand for deforestation-free commodity supply chains is putting pressure on Australia's soft commodity sectors to adopt sustainable practices. Learn more about deforestation in Queensland. It can't be done, forestry industry says. To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Of this total forest area, determined as at 2016, 132 million hectares (98%) are 'Native forests', 1.95 million hectares are 'Commercial plantations' and 0.47 million hectares are 'Other forest'. However, that figure comes with some very big caveats because during that same period, more than 82,000 hectares were granted approval for clearing under pastoral land clearing applications in the NT. The following selection of maps is from the Australian forest profiles 2019: This map shows the distribution of the Acacia native forest type across Australia: PNG [2.2 MB], PDF [0.5 MB]. Forest maps - DAFF - Agriculture Dr Taylor said that, despite being in the grips of a global economic downturn due to the COVID pandemic, now was a good time to examine how we could limit land clearing. Under commercial forestry activities, trees are regrown after harvesting. Australia has a well-established institutional framework to support the conservation and sustainable management of forests. Deforestation and tree-clearing is the major cause of habitat loss for many threatened and endangered species. "As soon as the Newman Government came [into office in Queensland] and weakened the laws, in fact, in their own words they 'took the axe' to the vegetation laws, we saw a five-fold increase to just the mature forest being cleared in a five year period," he said. , Carbon emissions released by land clearing across Australia are equivalent to about a third of the total emissions released by all of the coal-fired power stations in the country. The biennial Living Planet Report, published this week, puts . In a statement to the ABC, a spokesperson for the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources said that is was "misleading to make simple comparisons" between the different reporting methods, and that the Department was confident its records are "complete and accurate". This gives you a picture of how much land has been cleared, right across Australia, from 2010 until the most recently available data in 2018. To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Everything you need to know about the deforestation crisis taking place across Australia. Australia's forests - DAFF - Agriculture Blocks of land are still being sold for development in the Daintree. If this happened, the whole industry would need to clean up its act. Sediments and chemicals run off cleared areas into waterways that flow out to the Great Barrier Reefsmothering this already struggling icon. As well as land clearing, Western Australia's forests are under threat from climate change. Monitoring satellite imagery and recording suspicious clearing. And its not good news for nature. . Land clearing in Australia - Wikipedia (Supplied: Steven Nowakowski Panoscapes)Mr Davies heads up Rainforest 4: one of several conservation groups raising money to try . Australia's land clearing rate is once again among the highest in the The WWF report lists a variety of ways in which governments around the world have tried to limit deforestation. *This report is part of a journalistic collaboration . , Only 50% of Australia's forests and bushlands remain intact compared to pre-European arrival. Deforestation Fronts - Factsheets | WWF About half of Australia's Commercial plantations are exotic softwood (predominantly Pinus radiata), while the other half are hardwood (predominantly eucalypt species). Could AI save the Amazon rainforest? From policymakers to companies to consumers, urgent action is needed to halt forest loss. The once abundant koala is rapidly vanishing from New South Wales and Queensland. On 11/02/22 the government officially listed the koala as Endangered in Queensland, NSW and the ACT. Almost two-thirds of NSW native forests burned during the Black Summer Bushfires, devastating huge swathes of threatened species habitat. Reclearing takes the state's entire land clearing tally to 663,000 hectares. That's because of stronger laws coming into play in Queensland and New South Wales.". Why deforestation is a matter of concern for everyone? View an interactive version of this map in ArcGIS Online map viewer. They also provide clean water; protect soil; provide opportunities for recreation and tourism, and scientific and educational pursuits; and support cultural, heritage and aesthetic values. Tree-clearing | WWF Australia The majority of the 31,800 hectares cleared in the NT was for agriculture. This threatens a tourism industry worth $6 billion to Australia. Carbon once stored in trees and soil goes back into the atmosphere. EU parliament passes historic law forcing companies to track deforestation Australia is facing a deforestation crisis, with an area equivalent to MCG being destroyed every 86 seconds. Check out 10 facts about deforestation in Australia. According to Dr Taylor, the SLATs method gives a more accurate measure of tree loss and the WWF are calling for a standardised national system for monitoring forest cover in Australia. View an interactive version of this map in ArcGIS Online map viewer. The forests of Australia are diverse and highly valued, and are among the country's most important natural resources. Australia has about 3% of the world's forest area, and globally is the country with the seventh largest forest area. Meanwhile, Australia continues to be compared with some of the worst offending countries in the world when it comes to land clearing. State and territory governments have primary responsibility for forest management. Our analysis of the Queensland government's own land clearing data for 2018-19 reveals that approximately 92,718 ha of likely or known koala habitat was destroyed across Queensland in one year alone between 2018 and 2019. . Deforestation is Australias hidden emitterlike adding 10 million cars to our roads. 'Glum future for the platypus': why the elusive mammal is disappearing under our noses, Australian wildlife 20 times more likely to encounter deadly feral cats than native predators, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Australia has one of the highest rates of land clearing in the world. The related formal genus names are italicised and have capitalised initial letters (e.g. To get to that conclusion, they have compared the amount of cleared land (3.78 million hectares) with the amount of land regrown (4.19 million hectares), to come up with a "net forest clearing" figure of negative-401,000 hectares.