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1 of 20/ For anyone who watched @craigreucassel’s #FightforPlanetA last night and wants to know more about Australia’s #deforestation rates, its links to #climatechange & #beef production, here's some links to evidence and articles. Warning: it’s a long thread!
2 of 20 #Deforestation has escalated in Australia over recent years, much to the dismay of scientists: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00856-w
3 of 20/ Eastern Australia is now a global #deforestation hotspot, alongside places like the Amazon and Borneo, according to a @WWF International report: https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/our_focus/forests_practice/forest_publications_news_and_reports/living_forests_report/
4 of 20/ Queensland has the highest deforestation rates in Australia. The most recent Queensland Government official statistics on land clearing published in 2018 found, ‘The woody vegetation clearing rate in 2017–18 was 392 000 ha/year.’ https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0031/91876/landcover-change-in-queensland-2016-17-and-2017-18.pdf
5 of 20/ Meanwhile land clearing in New South Wales has risen nearly 60% since the state relaxed its native vegetation laws in 2017: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/02/land-clearing-new-south-wales-rises-60-per-cent-since-laws-relaxed#:~:text=Land%2Dclearing%20in%20New%20South,hectares%20between%202009%20and%202017.
6 of 20/Carbon pollution from deforestation was projected to be 9.4% of Australia’s overall domestic emissions in 2019. (And that doesn’t even include emissions from native forest logging or clearing of bushland) https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/aust-emissions-projects-chart-data-2019.xlsx
7 of 20/One study estimates 50 million native animals, including the iconic koala, are being killed by land clearing in Queensland and NSW alone each year. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317982062_The_invisible_harm_Land_clearing_is_an_issue_of_animal_welfare
8 of 20/ Between 2000 and 2017, Australia cleared 7.7 million hectares of threatened species habitat: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/09/australia-cleared-77m-hectares-of-threatened-species-habitat-since-introduction-of-environment-act?CMP=share_btn_tw
9 of 20/In a survey of leading scientists conducted by the Ecological Society of Australia, clearing & land use change was ranked as the highest current threat to biodiversity in Australia https://soe.environment.gov.au/theme/biodiversity/topic/2016/availability-information
10 of 20/It’s also terrible for the Reef. Deforestation in Great Barrier Reef catchments leads to erosion & sediment into Reef waters and has contributed to the outlook for the Reef being downgraded to poor: https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/great-barrier-reef-outlook-downgraded-to-very-poor-as-threats-mount-20190830-p52mb8.html
11 of 20/ A 2019 Scientists Declaration stated ‘Large-scale clearing of woody native vegetation contributes to increased fire risk': https://www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/faculty-of-science/to-reduce-fire-risk-and-meet-climate-targets,-over-300-scientists-call-for-stronger-land-clearing-laws
12 of 20/The land plays a vital role in the carbon cycle, both by absorbing greenhouse gases and releasing them into the atmosphere. If we ended #deforestation and invested in landscape restoration, we could make a huge contribution to Australia’s climate fight.
13 of 20/A @RepuTexEnergy Report commissioned by @WildernessAus in 2017 found that ending land clearing by 2030 would save between 300-650 Million Tonnes of Co2-e cumulatively. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/ending-land-clearing-by-2030-equivalent-to-complete-shift-to-renewables-analysis-finds
14 of 20/But investing in tree planting and restoration is not much use to the climate if we’re simultaneously deforesting: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/17/australia-spends-billions-planting-trees-then-wipes-out-carbon-gains-by-bulldozing-them
15 of 20/ I just did the latest numbers and under the Emissions Reduction Fund, $1.5 billion has been committed for 126.5 tonnes of abatement on vegetation projects. But those carbon gains are wiped out on under 3 years of current land clearing rates
16 of 20/ANY land carbon work MUST go alongside reducing fossil fuel emissions. As the @ClimateCouncil have pointed out, land carbon cannot offset fossil fuel emissions. “The challenge is to both reduce fossil fuel emissions AND restore land carbon” https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/land-carbon-report/
17 of 20/ It's important to look at the data on where the deforestation is occurring, so we can fix it. Research by @WildernessAus last year showed 73% of all #deforestation & land clearing in #Queensland was linked to beef production. @_LisaMCox https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/08/beef-industry-linked-to-94-of-land-clearing-in-great-barrier-reef-catchments
18 of 20/ The data ALSO showed something very positive: In the last 5 years, 68% of parcels of land in Queensland under beef production was deforestation-free. That means it's totally possible to decouple beef production from deforestation. https://www.wilderness.org.au/beef-property-analysis
19 of 20/ The 1st scorecard ranking Australian companies on their #deforestation policies was released last year. Not a single company could guarantee their beef & other products aren't linked to forest & bushland destruction. Read the scorecard here: https://www.wilderness.org.au/news-events/beyond-the-amazon-assessment-of-supply-chain-deforestation-risks-in-australia
20 of 20/ The great news is we already have the solutions to #deforestation here. Strong state laws, strong federal environment protection laws, & corporations eliminating deforestation from their supply chains, would fix this. & we must support landholders doing the right thing.
21 of 20/And if anyone got to the end - thank you!
