Media Releases - 18 July 2024
Data reveals 10 times more deforestation in QLD than for palm oil in Indonesia
Yesterday the Queensland government released its Statewide Landcover and Trees Study for the 2021-22 year. The report shows 323,676 hectares of land was impacted by land clearing during the 2021-2022 reporting period, cementing Australia’s unenviable international status as a global hotspot for deforestation.
Other key findings include:
Between 2021-22, 323,676 hectares of woody vegetation was bulldozed, a very slight reduction from the previous reporting year (349,399ha). This is 10 times more deforestation than there was in all of Indonesia for palm oil last year (30,000ha)
88% of land clearing activity was for pasture. Previous Wilderness Society analysis has shown the majority of this is for the expansion of beef pasture
About 58% of the bulldozing occurred in vegetation over 15 years old, which is considered functioning natural ecosystems
About 20% of land clearing activity was in remnant areas, which includes vital threatened species habitat and hollow-bearing trees.
44% land-clearing activity took place in Great Barrier Reef catchments
24,500ha of land clearing activity was unexplained and potentially noncompliant.
While welcoming the decrease in land clearing from the 2020-2021 report, the Wilderness Society says deforestation is still driving environmental destruction in Queensland.
Queensland is home to the largest variety of native Australian species in the country, and many of them are threatened with extinction. Rampant deforestation is putting threatened species like the koala on the fast track to extinction, harming the Great Barrier Reef and worsening climate change.
Hannah Schuch, Queensland Campaigns Manager for Wilderness Society, said:
"Despite a slight reduction in numbers, Queensland still leads the nation in deforestation. It’s troubling to see that remnant forest and bushland destruction is on the rise, since they are critical to the health of Queensland's environment and the native species that call it home. This is a sign that the Vegetation Management Act is not working as it should to protect Queensland's forests and bushlands. Another 24,500ha of clearing, equivalent to 3,300 times the size of Suncorp Stadium, is unexplained, raising serious questions around compliance.
"Unfortunately more than half the vegetation cleared is over 15 years old. Bush this old forms, by definition, functioning natural ecosystems and forests, and their destruction leaves native animals like koalas homeless, injured and closer to extinction.
"88% of clearing during the 21-22 reporting period was for pasture. Year after year, beef pasture remains the key driver of the majority of Queensland’s deforestation. While only a portion of producers are responsible for this clearing, this staggering rate of deforestation for beef taints the entire industry, and unfortunately hinders market access for producers that are doing the right thing.
“The world is turning away from deforestation. Consumers and financiers no longer want to support the destruction of unique forests and bushlands. The beef industry needs to catch up with this shift and finally go deforestation-free.
"This is a problem for both governments and corporations to solve. Businesses involved in the beef supply chain—like supermarkets—have a responsibility to address their exposure to deforestation. They urgently need to go deforestation and conversion-free by setting and actually implementing science-based commitments. Queensland's globally unique plant and animal life depends on it.