Hundreds of citizen scientists uncover 90,000 ha of threatened species land clearing, much linked to agriculture
Australian Conservation Foundation
Citizen scientists have helped uncover swathes of native species habitat cleared across Australia, with the overwhelming majority happening on agricultural land, including one cluster at the edge of a World Heritage area.
The bulldozing of 90,000 hectares of bush across 176 properties amounts to around 320 Sydney CBDs. For comparison, deforestation for palm oil in Indonesia averages 32,000 hectares a year.
A total of 675 members of the public identified the destruction, before ACF investigators verified the information. All of the bush that was cleared was mapped as habitat for nationally threatened species, with beef production the primary driver.
"That we still uncover destruction like this is why Australia is the only developed country on a list of global deforestation hotspots,” ACF’s Nathaniel Pelle said.
“It’s an embarrassing status that demands action from the federal government as we head into the next climate COP meeting in Brazil, where deforestation will be a key focus.”
In Northern NSW, deforestation had occurred on several neighbouring properties sandwiched between two national parks and the World Heritage Area, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, where the Brush-tailed rock wallaby is under threat.
"This is the most exasperating case of deforestation I have witnessed. On one side of the fence you have a living, ancient forest recognised as a place of World Heritage and on the other you have what used to be forest, but is now a paddock,” the business and nature lead said. “When Aussies buy a burger at the drive-through or a pie at the footy, they want to know they’re supporting farmers who care for nature, not the ones still bulldozing the bush.”
Supermarkets Woolworths and ALDI have set targets to exclude beef from their supply chains by the end of 2025, while burger giant Hungry Jack’s and iconic Four’n Twenty Pies manufacturer Patties are yet to make any commitment.
The citizen scientists used an ACF developed tool to compare satellite imagery from 2023 and 2024 which was then sent to ACF investigators for further analysis.
“The clearing was detected by hundreds of dedicated, nature-loving Australians—on their smartphones while commuting to work and on computers at home,” Lead Environmental Investigator Annica Schoo said.
“The fact so many cases can be found in a short time by a non-governmental organisation shows why we need an independent federal Environmental Protection Authority.”
Citizen science investigator and nature lover Ruth Hughes spent hours on her phone examining the land clearing images, which left her “outraged.”
“Some were in such remote areas... It's like, somebody thought, ‘Oh, well, I can get away with this, because who's looking?’... well I'm looking and I care,” she said. “I do feel outraged about land clearing. We're in a climate and extinction crisis, and we need our native vegetation for people, let alone, animals and everything.”
Key findings:
• 176 cases of habitat destruction totalling 90,000 hectares was confirmed
• The average area of bush cleared was around 500 hectares, and the largest area cleared on a single property was 7000 hectares.
• 150 or 85% of cases occurred on agricultural properties, 143 of which are livestock farms, including 69 beef properties
• 104 cases were discovered in Queensland, 62 in NSW, 7 in WA and 3 in the NT.
• The koala is the threatened species likely to be most impacted, with other species impacted including the Pink Cockatoo and Greater Glider.
ACF will report 76 cases covering 31,866 hectares of land clearing to the federal government for potential breaches of Australia’s national nature law, the EPBC Act.
Report, vision and stills available on request.
Contact details:
Liv Casben, 0415 214365 [email protected]