The beef industry must show leadership and urgently change its practices to stop selling beef linked to deforestation. Note: The names of the national native forest types have capitalised initial letters (e.g. A key element of the approach adopted in the NFPS involved the negotiation of Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) between the Australian Government and some state governments. The series of billboards across Brisbane drew attention to the devastating effects that deforestation and land clearing have on wildlife across Queensland. In a country of diverse landscapes, lutruwita / Tasmania stands a world apart. Agriculture was the biggest driver of land clearing in Tasmania. Logging is considered a threat to species such as the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum and vulnerable greater glider. Regional Forestry Hubs map graphic only PDF [0.6 MB], We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions. Australia's native forests provide a range of wood and non-wood products that are used by Australians in their everyday lives. Australia's most-read trade publication for wealth management professionals. State and territory governments have primary responsibility for forest management. "Deforestation in Australia took a marked downturn from 2004 to 2009. Is social the most important part of ESG investing? View an interactive version of this map in ArcGIS Online map viewer. Under commercial forestry activities, trees are regrown after harvesting. 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. "There is no underestimate of areas or emissions reported in the National Greenhouse Accounts," the spokesperson said. 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]. In NSW, the Berejiklian government weakened land-clearing rules in 2017 and habitat destruction has since increased. Deforestation - National Geographic Society We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions. Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation in Australia.Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of natural wetlands for replacement with agriculture, urban and other land uses. They are designed to provide certainty for forest-based industries, forest-dependent communities and achieve conservation outcomes. Blocks of land are still being sold for development in the Daintree. Check out 10 facts about deforestation in Australia. Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies. We do business with you using online platforms. Land-clearing rates rocketed after the axing of restrictions in Queensland and NSW placing eastern Australia alongside the most infamous places in the world for forest destruction, WWF-Australia conservation scientist Martin Taylor said. Using a newly developed satellite data classification technique, researchers from Geoscience Australia's Digital Earth Australia (DEA) program have created a series of maps that show how mangrove locations have shifted year-to-year in response to storm events and a changing climate. The classes can be grouped on the basis of ownership as public or private, with a small area of unresolved tenure. We recognise First Nations as the custodians of land and water across Australia and pay our respects to Elders past and present. 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. Koalas live in gum trees, also commonly known as eucalyptus trees. acacias). Forests extend across Australia's northern tropical regions, and down the east coast through sub-tropical regions to temperate cool-season wet and coldwet zones in the south-east; they are also found in Mediterranean climate zones in the south-east and south-west. ESG & greenwashing: how did the investment industry end up here? Read our WA native vegetation report detailing 7 ways to protect WA's most valuable natural asset. The issue is that a mature forest can be cleared in one place, and an equivalent area of 2-metre saplings may have regrown in another. 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]. Check out 10 facts about deforestation in Australia The report says cattle ranching (the destruction of trees to create pasture for cattle) was by far the most significant driver of forest loss or degradation in eastern Australia. Communities need a real voice in environmental decision-making to have an effective say on the future of NSW forests. In Eastern Australia, nearly half of the original forested area has been lost. 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. Although native forest logging has been responsible for clearing a small area by comparison, it has been a flashpoint in Tasmania for decades. Regional Forestry Hubs boundaries (2022)is the spatial dataset of the boundaries for theRegional Forestry Hubs. 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. According to the report, expansion of commercial agriculture and tree plantations are the biggest drivers of deforestation around the world. Its The interim report called for an independent regulator that would be responsible for enforcing and monitoring compliance with the law. The related common names do not have capitalised initial letters (e.g. The ANZ-based team aims to address complex problems related to climate change, biodiversity loss, and emissions reduction. While Tasmania's area of land clearing is more than double the Northern Territory's, the total land area of Tasmania is only one-twentieth the size. Getting a fix on this figure is tough. If we want to protect Australia's remarkable biodiversity, including its most iconic animals, we must protect habitat. "The LULUCF activity tables are very primitive," Dr Taylor said. This includes Australias diverse native forests and plantations, regardless of age. Forest destruction is a threat to more than 700 endangered Australian plants and animals and WWF-Australia has previously highlighted the effects of clearing conducted without threatened species assessments. Deforestation threatens much of Australia's extraordinary biodiversity and, if not redressed, will blight the environmental legacy we leave future generations, warn scientists including Richard Kingsford, Martine Maron and Brendan Wintle. The next biggest contributor to the data was "grazing modified pastures" at around 125,000 hectares. 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. And the state leading this destructive charge is Queensland. These RFAs include their own environmental protections and because of this timber harvesting operations done in accordance with these agreements "are not subject to certain Commonwealth legislative requirements", according to the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). Western Australia's forests, woodlands and outback native vegetation play a critical role in preserving biodiversity, providing a home for threatened species and storing huge quantities of carbon. Forests are generally confined to regions where average rainfall exceeds 500 millimetres per year. 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. The forests of Australia are diverse and highly valued, and are among the country's most important natural resources. It will take more than a century for central banks and other financial institutions to reach gender balance in leadership, according to the Gender Balance Index 2023. Carbon once stored in trees and soil goes back into the atmosphere. A DES spokesperson told the ABC that "SLATs applies a highly rigorous methodology". 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. In May of this year, a federal court ruled that VicForests had breached environmental laws by logging the habitat of threatened species. In our home state of Queensland. 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. Only 50% of Australia's forests and bushlands remain intact compared to pre-European arrival. Five reasons investors should adopt an active versus passive ESG approach, Climate change is changing the outlook for energy utilities, Bank Australia sets interim 2030 net zero target, UniSuper updates progress on net zero target, Science-Based Targets an indicator of future climate action: Federated Hermes, Woolworths commits to ambitious GHG emissions cuts, Wilderness Society links deforestation to beef production, supply chain risk, Coca Cola, WWF-Australia, farmers mark 10 years of Project Catalyst, Global Canopy Programme appoints executive director, NCD launches Soft Commodities Forest-risk Assessment Tool, CDP, We Mean Business partner for Road to Paris. Over roughly the last 20 years, koalas numbers have declined by almost 50% across Queensland and they have continued to do so. More than 43 million hectares were lost in these fronts between 2004 and 2017, an area roughly the size of Morocco or six times the size of Tasmania. If we want to protect Australia's remarkable biodiversity, including its most iconic animals, we must protect habitat. But these renowned forests, and unique species like the koala, are under enormous pressure from land clearing, logging and fire. To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. "We're putting huge amounts of taxpayer dollars into avoided deforestation and reforestation and at the same time we . Australias 2019-20 bushfires were too recent to be considered in the analysis which tracked 24 deforestation fronts from 2004 to 2017. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. The following map was prepared and published by ABARES: This map provides a detailed snapshot of the forestry industry, including the location of major wood processing facilities, native forest tenure, hardwood and softwood plantations, as well as roads and forestry ports: PDF [12.1 MB] and higher resolution version PDF [36.6 MB]. "Let's not look for the same old bulldoze-and-dig-it-up model of recovery. EU parliament passes historic law forcing companies to track deforestation To give life a chance, we need strong, sensible deforestation laws. 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'. About 2,000 years ago, 80 percent of Western Europe was forested; today the figure is 34 percent. This map shows the distribution of the Callitris native forest type across Australia: PNG [1.9 MB], PDF [0.5 MB]. If we go back to our 1-kilometre-wide strip of land, South Australia's total clearing stretches almost 1,100km from Newcastle to Melbourne. We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia. In 2015, WWFs Saving Forests at Risk analysis identified 11 global deforestation fronts including eastern Australia. But in Eastern Australia, agriculture is by far the biggest driver of deforestation. Everything you need to know about the deforestation crisis taking place across Australia. While there is increasing community support for the protection of forests, NSW laws explicitly reduce the right of communities to have a say about what happens to the states forests. This map shows the distribution of burnt forest in Australia, by the number of times each hectare was burnt in the period 201112 to 201516: PNG [1.0 MB], PDF [2.1MB]. It's primarily driven by agriculture (mostly for beef production), mining and urban development. In some regions, forests extend from these wetter, coastal and sub-coastal areas into central, drier parts of the continent. Forests of lutruwita / Tasmania These forests support some of Australia's most iconic species. Land clearing in Australia: How does your state (or territory - ABC The Queensland government tightened land-clearing rules in 2018 but Taylor said there was not enough data available yet to determine the effect of those changes. Dr Taylor said his Pervasive Inaction report exposed poor enforcement of the national environment law, revealing that almost 250,000 hectares of threatened species habitat were destroyed between 2016 and 2018 in Queensland, with no evidence of any referral and approval under the EPBC Act.