<
https://theconversation.com/poor-compliance-and-broad-exemptions-mean-land-clearing-continues-apace-in-northern-australia-despite-our-laws-and-pledges-237030>
"In 2021, Australia was one of 141 nations pledging to end deforestation by
2030 – just over five years from now.
On paper, Australia should be well placed. It is wealthy, politically stable
and has modern environmental laws. But the trees keep falling. Australia is the
only deforestation hotspot among developed nations. Forests are still being
cleared for farming, mining and expansion of urban areas. More and more species
are becoming threatened, and populations of threatened species keep declining.
So what’s going wrong? We investigated land clearing across northern Australia,
including longtime hotspot Queensland and the Northern Territory, where land
clearing is accelerating at worrying rates.
Forests and woodlands across Australia’s south were deforested many decades
ago. But our northern reaches have stayed far more intact – until recently.
In research out today, we found key reasons why the trees are falling faster in
the north. Most clearing took place without being assessed under Australia’s
national environmental laws, which covers damage to threatened species and
ecological communities. And state laws have many exemptions, especially in
Queensland."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
