Australia is the only developed nation to be listed as a global deforestation hotspot.
Every 2 minutes, Australia destroys an area of forest the size of the MCG. Not only is this destruction of habitat the leading threat to biodiversity extinction in Australia, it is also a major source of greenhouse emissions.
The Issues
Native Forest Logging - It's hard to believe that in 2024 Australia still logs our remaining native forests. No matter how well managed, a logged forest will always have inferior biodiversity and carbon values. Logging is a key threatening process for over 50 threatened species, pushing species like the Koala, Greater Glider and Swift Parrot closer to extinction. Sadly, most of the timber from native forests ends up in low-value products like woodchips and firewood.
Habitat Clearing: Australia clears an extraordinary amount of land every year, mostly for livestock pasture, particularly beef. Since 2000, Australia has cleared over 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat - more than the total area of Tasmania. This clearing has a massive carbon impact - accounting for about 10% of our national emissions. Markets for Australian agricultural products, notably the EU, are starting to penalise imports of products made from deforestation, strengthening the case for reform.
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