Australia is a large, dry country with diverse land cover. As of 2020, primary forest covered 134.01 million hectares, or 17% of the country’s approximately 769 million hectares of land. This accounts for around 3% of the world’s forest area. The most common forest type in Australia is Eucalypt, which covers 101 million hectares, or 75% of the total forest area. In total, 98% of the nation’s forest cover consists of native forest, with the remaining 2% (474 million hectares) comprised of commercial plantations where wood is grown for wood production on a commercial scale. Over a third (36%, or 47.2 million hectares) of forested areas are owned as leasehold forest: government-owned land leased and generally privately managed. A further 31% (41 million hectares) is private forest, while 25% (31.5 million hectares) is either multiple-use public forest or held in nature conservation reserves.
This primary forest plays a vital role in sequestering Australia’s carbon emissions. A study published in 2022 found that Australia’s land-based ecosystems offset around one-third of the nation’s fossil fuel emissions, a total of around 150 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Each hectare of the country’s temperate forests sequesters around 3.9 tonnes of carbon yearly.
Figure 1: Forest types found in Australia. Source: Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Australia’s forests – overview – DAFF (agriculture.gov.au)
Global Forest Watch has calculated that the total area of tree cover across Australia decreased by 9.04 million hectares (21%) between 2001 and 2023, resulting in 2.24 Gt of carbon greenhouse gas emissions. There are many different drivers of this deforestation. Wildfires have always been a driver of deforestation, particularly in 2019 and 2020, when over 29 million hectares of woodland were burned. However, tree cover loss to forestry is also a significant cause of deforestation across the country (Figure 2). Eucalypt woodlands have experienced extensive deforestation, with 67% of the pre-1750 extent remaining.
Figure 2: Deforestation drivers of Australia’s tree cover loss. Brown refers to wildfire, green to forestry, and red to commodity-driven deforestation. See Global Forest Watch Australia for more details.
Between 2015 and 2019, nearly 58,000 hectares of primary forest were cleared annually, while more than 6.1 million hectares have been cleared since 1990. These deforestation rates have resulted in Australia being identified in a 2021 WWF report as the only developed nation on the list of deforestation hotspots. This deforestation was attributed primarily to commercial agriculture and tree plantations, alongside mining and infrastructure development. On the eastern coast, clearing for cattle or beef pasture causes 85% of deforestation.
Australia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement includes considerations related to forest sequestration, destruction, and development, but the extent and specifics have evolved. In particular, Australia’s NDC recognizes the role of forests as carbon sinks, while afforestation and reforestation efforts are considered in Australia’s climate strategy. Emissions from deforestation are included in Australia’s NDC and greenhouse gas emissions inventory, although there has been significant criticism about how the country is using its land use change and forestry (LULUCF) to ‘cook the books’ on climate and allow the country to claim alignment with the Paris Agreement. Without LULUC emission reductions, Australia’s emissions since its 2005 baseline calculation have barely changed at all.
Public policy has significantly impacted land clearing rates, particularly on the eastern coast. For example, in 2013, the Newman government in Queensland relaxed land clearing laws that previous administrations had put in place. This led to a dramatic increase in land clearing rates. Similar policy changes in NSW in 2017 made it easier for landholders to clear land, leading to increased deforestation rates. These policy changes have effectively weakened protections for forests and facilitated their destruction, often for agricultural expansion or urban development. In addition, poor enforcement of existing laws has been linked to the destruction of almost 250,000 hectares of threatened species habitat between 2016 and 2018.
At the national level, policy continues to threaten Australia’s forests. Regional Forestry Agreements – 20-year plans between the Australian federal government and state governments regarding the sustainable management and conservation of Australia’s native forests – effectively exempt logging operations in certain areas from national environmental laws, specifically the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999. This means logging activities in RFA areas do not require approval under national environmental law, even if they might impact threatened species or ecosystems. By bypassing the EPBC Act, there is also less federal oversight of logging operations.
Environmental and other groups have engaged in ongoing campaigns to amend RFAs and reinstate a policy restricting land clearing. One organization working on this issue is the Biodiversity Council, an independent expert group of 11 universities that promote evidence-based solutions to resolve Australia’s biodiversity crisis. In late September 2024, they released a media statement expressing support for political calls to end the carve-out of native forest logging by national environmental law. The Bob Brown Foundation, another organization that has engaged in decades of forest advocacy, is organizing nationwide rallies for the forest to help draw attention to this issue. While Australia’s role as a global deforestation hotspot remains a stain on its reputation, many people and groups are active in the country, seeking to chart a new pathway forward and protect its forests in perpetuity.
Primary Influencer
The Director of the Biodiversity Council, James Trezise, has a long history as a forestry advocate in Australia.
His email is james.trezise@biodiversitycouncil.org.au
James Trezise could aim to help publicize the Bob Brown Foundation rallies across the country to help boost public awareness and engagement in this issue before the country’s upcoming federal election.
This post was submitted by Australia Country Manager Robyn Gulliver.