Why Queensland is still ground zero for Australian deforestation

Nature is forced to give up habitat so cattle have grass to eat. Shutterstock

This matters, because Queenslanders are the custodians of more biodiversity than any other Australian state^[8], most of which is found in its woodlands and forests.

Queensland’s thousands of unique plant species provide homes and resources for many of Australia’s famous animals^[9]. More than 1,800 species^[10] of Australian plants and animals are now threatened with extinction – and Queensland’s land clearing is a key threat for many.

It can be hard to connect bulldozers clearing trees and the reality of what it does to the animals relying on them. So we cross-referenced the cleared land with threatened species distribution maps^[11]. Approximately 417 threatened species lost some of their habitat, with the worst hit including grey falcon, the newly endangered koala, and squatter pigeon. The clearing is a double blow, as many of these species were devastated^[12] by the Black Summer fires.

Read more: Repairing gullies: the quickest way to improve Great Barrier Reef water quality^[13]

This large scale destruction also hampers Australia’s ability to meet climate targets. The agriculture, forestry and other land use sector on average, accounted for almost a quarter^[14] (23%) of the world’s human-caused emissions. Of these, 45% were from deforestation.

If we leave woodlands and forests intact, they look after our interests too. They improve water quality and availability^[15] for our uses and for nature. They control erosion by protecting soils and riverbanks^[16]. And they increase the productivity of nearby cropland by hosting pollinators and species which prey on plant pests. Ripping out the forests and woodlands not only reduces the carbon they sequester^[17] but also makes the ground immediately warmer^[18], making many parts of Queensland even hotter and more drought prone.

Native vegetation cleared for pasture near Maryborough. Martin Taylor

Destroying old, biologically important woodland and forests at such scale is a terrible idea. It flies in the face of global pledges to end deforestation^[19] and maintain the integrity of all of Earth’s ecosystems^[20]. Australia is a signatory to both of these.

Cynics might wonder whether the rush to clear pasture is linked to the fact many of our trading partners are looking to import beef not linked to deforestation. In December, the European Union passed laws requiring beef exporters to show their operations haven’t contributed to deforestation. Cattle must not have been raised on land cleared after December 2020. Though the EU is not the largest beef market for Australian farmers, the National Farmers Federation reacted angrily^[21].

Even in Australia, huge companies such as Woolworths^[22] and McDonalds^[23] have committed to remove deforestation from their supply chains.

Some companies are doing the right thing, but the sheer scale of felling and clearing shows many are not. Both the Queensland and federal governments must fix the problem with better regulation and adequate enforcement, access to data to demonstrate deforestation-free credentials, and incentives for producers to improve their land use to the emerging global standards. In the age of ubiquitous satellite imagery, it’s impossible to hide what you’re doing. One option could be to make the deforestation images publicly available in real time.

Brigalow forest cleared for pastures Central Queensland. Credit Martine Maron.

Labor has pledged action federally – but the state Labor government must do more

There’s a strange disconnect developing where Labor, federally, has signalled they want to reverse Australia’s biodiversity crisis, while at state level, their actions are nowhere near enough. Federal Labor recently signed national and international commitments aimed at halting species extinctions^[24], reversing biodiversity loss^[25], and stopping further land degradation^[26]. For that to actually happen, though, it will need the states to play ball – especially Queensland.

Lopper removing tree by tree in koala habitat for housing in Springfield Qld. Credit Martin Taylor.

Why is Queensland ground-zero for deforestation in Australia? It has water, arable land, and a decentralised population often reliant on farming or mining work outside the major cities. Sugarcane plantations, mango farms, beef cattle, dairy, bananas – it’s hard to shift a long-set path.

But if the state government is unable to close the obvious loopholes such as Queensland’s questionable land clearing Category X^[27] and stop rampant land clearing, the environmental, social and economic bill will come due. Extinctions, coral death, climate damages, degraded human health and the reputational risk of becoming a pariah.

It doesn’t have to be that way. By working with farmers and graziers, they can end the policy ping-pong^[28] with laws to encourage all food producers to shift to deforestation-free produce. We can get there.

Read more: EcoCheck: can the Brigalow Belt bounce back?^[29]

Read more https://theconversation.com/why-queensland-is-still-ground-zero-for-australian-deforestation-196644