Queensland clears forest area twice the size of Brisbane in one year
Queensland completely cleared an area of forest and woodland twice the size of the City of Brisbane in the year to August 2023, according to a newly released report.
The state government’s annual Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS) report, released on Wednesday, revealed that 332,015 hectares of woody vegetation – trees and shrubs – were cleared in the 2022-23 reporting period – a 3 per cent increase on the previous year.
Of that, 82 per cent (271,343 hectares) was the full removal of vegetation, with the remaining 18 per cent partially cleared. The survey also mapped 84,649 hectares of regrowth.
Land clearing near Gin Gin in late 2024.Credit: Paul Hilton
Clearing activity in the Great Barrier Reef catchment accounted for 44 per cent of the state’s total clearing, a slight increase from 2021-22.
About 86 per cent of clearing was to create pasture, and the vast majority of that was full clearing, putting Queensland cattle farmers at odds with major beef buyers that have pledged to go deforestation-free, including the European Union, Coles, Woolworths and McDonald’s.
Six per cent of clearing was for forestry and 2 per cent for mining, while infrastructure, crops and settlement were all less than 1 per cent.
Agriculture was also the biggest driver of deforestation in NSW, where clearing rates surged by 40 per cent in 2023. However, Queensland cleared five times more land than NSW.
Greens MP Michael Berkman called on David Crisafulli to rule out any winding back of vegetation protections laws, “unless [he] wants to be remembered as the premier who oversaw a deforestation crisis and the effective death of the koala in Queensland”.
He also said the SLATS report should have been released much more promptly, and accused the government of delaying its publication for political reasons.
Queensland Conservation Council director Dave Copeman said the data highlighted a systemic failure to protect endangered ecosystems and threatened species’ habitat.
“If the Queensland government is serious about protecting the Great Barrier Reef, it would crack down on the level of clearing occurring in reef catchments,” he said.
The Queensland government also released a 25-year timber plan on Wednesday, which it said was needed “to secure the sustainable timber supply needed to build one million homes by 2044”.
“This plan is about securing a reliable and sustainable timber supply to meet Queensland’s growing housing, construction, and infrastructure needs, all while protecting jobs and building regional economies,” Primary Industries Minister Tony Perrett said.
But the Queensland Conservation Council said the plan signified an escalation of native forest logging, including in areas of prime habitat for the endangered greater glider.
“This plan doesn’t value Queensland’s native forests for anything other than logging,” QCC campaigner Nicky Moffat said.
“Forests give us clean air, water, they store carbon and support a vast diversity of unique plants and animals. These values must be accounted for.”
With Rosanna Ryan
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