“Australia has one of the world’s worst rates of deforestation, driven mostly by the beef industry. Every single day about 100,000 native animals are killed from this destruction as threatened species habitat, including for the iconic koala, is bulldozed at a rate of knots. 

“In just five years, 668,000 hectares of koala habitat was bulldozed by the beef industry for pasture — that’s 2,400 times the size of Sydney CBD. 

“It is simply not credible for the beef industry to cook up their own fantasy definition of deforestation and deny there is a problem — it’s like the fox guarding the henhouse.

“Any meaningful definition of deforestation must include threatened species habitat and regenerated forest — this is the widely accepted, global best practice approach. To ignore vital habitat for the endangered koala, for example, will not pass muster. Claims that the vast swathes of forest bulldozed for beef is for weed management are patently false. 

“Major global markets like the EU are moving rapidly towards responsibly-sourced beef — if the beef industry doesn’t clean up its act, it risks losing market and financial access. It’s deeply disappointing to see the Minister for Agriculture seemingly go against his own government’s goal of zero new species extinctions by railing against the EU’s critically important deforestation-free regulations.

“Any company in the beef supply chain, or financial institutions supporting the industry, should be very careful with any public claims they are deforestation-free based on deliberately weak definitions completely out of step with global best practice. 

“Market and financial regulators have made it clear that greenwashing is a priority area of concern and Greenpeace will be referring any suspect claims to these regulators. 

“The good news is that we already have the solutions — it’s only a relatively small number of operators doing most of the damage. The Australian beef industry can eliminate deforestation from the entire supply chain and be a leader in responsible beef production — this should be the focus of the industry, not continuing to deny a very serious problem.”

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of recent deforestation can be found here

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org

Australia is a global winner loser

A hidden deforestation crisis is underway in Australia and our iconic wildlife is under threat. Australia is number one in the world for mammal extinction and number two in the world for biodiversity loss.

Queensland takes the trophy for the state with the highest rates of deforestation – bulldozing more than all the other states and territories combined¹. But how did it get so bad?

A bulldozer brutally rips down trees in an Australian forest.

Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Queensland’s longest serving Premier, famously developed a technique for bulldozing massive areas of forest and bushland, using a giant anchor chain connected between two dozers to rip the forest apart. Joh oversaw the destruction of millions of hectares of forest and woodland in the Brigalow Belt of Queensland, which is one of the country’s 15 national biodiversity hotspots².

Throughout the nineties, the Australian environment movement fought for stronger laws to end the destruction of forests and woodlands. Deforestation rates started to decline before state Governments were urged by industry to loosen laws, and once again rates of deforestation began to climb. 

Today, much of the environmental destruction is going on unchecked by government or environmental bodies, so the scale of the problem is hidden from view and only exposed by expert research and investigation.

Satellite images expose deforestation that is hidden from the public view.

What’s the beef with deforestation?

Over 73% of deforestation is for the primary purpose of beef production³. Trees are bulldozed and then piled up and burnt or left to rot, invasive grasses are planted and cattle are brought in.

It’s really no wonder considering Australia is the 4th largest exporter of beef in the world. The majority of beef (60-70%) produced in Australia is for export. The remainder, however, ends up in steaks on the shelves of supermarkets like Woolworths and Coles and patties for burgers sold at fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Hungry Jacks.

Most beef is produced in the state of Queensland, so let’s take a closer look at beef driven deforestation in that state. In the five years from 2016-2021, over 2.2 million hectares of forest and bushland was bulldozed in Queensland alone⁴. Over 90% of the destruction each year was listed as being for pasture conversion.

While the vast majority of deforestation is for beef pasture, there are many other drivers – logging, mining, urban development and more recently the production of renewable energy.

Australia’s forests and bushland have been chopped, logged, pushed and dozed at scale since colonisation – mainly to create pasture for cattle and livestock. Today, just 50% of Australia’s original forests and bushland remain intact.⁵

1 second = 1 dead animal

The destruction of forests and bushland is having a huge impact on native animals. Every second a native animal is killed as a result of deforestation⁶ – in Queensland and New South Wales alone. That is tens of millions of animals and birds killed every year.

Much of the forests being destroyed are home to threatened species. In the 5 years from 2016-2021, 90% of deforestation was in habitat where threatened species are likely to make their homes.

Koalas are now endangered in NSW and QLD due to deforestation

Threatened species like the koala, northern quoll, northern hairy-nosed wombat and many more. Animals are now listed as endangered because they have lost their homes and their lives in a brutal and often bloody way.

Trees are the lungs of the planet – they clean our air and store massive amounts of carbon. When they are bulldozed, that carbon is released. So deforestation not only harms native animals, but it drives the climate crisis as well. 

How to win the war on our forests

With all of these dire facts it might be hard to see the how we can save our vulnerable forests, birds and animals. But we have a plan to turn the destruction around – a two-pronged campaign strategy. 

Step 1 – Ensure our government makes strong laws

The first step in winning is to make the government step up and bring in strong nature protection laws that don’t let this destruction continue unchecked. This year the Australian government will face a huge test — a once-in-a-generation reform of our national nature laws.

Without strong laws that genuinely protect and restore nature, the destruction of wildlife and forests will continue and countless more native animals will face extinction.

You can send an email to your local MP right now, to tell them we need strong nature protection laws.

Step 2 – Hold our biggest beef buyers to account

Next we need to get big corporates to clean up their act and, because the leading cause of deforestation is beef production, get it out of their beef supply chains.

We will be exposing the problem and calling on the biggest buyers of Australian beef – supermarkets and fast food chains – to clean up the deforestation in their supply chains.

Sign the forests petition and we will keep you up to date on the campaign – and how you can fight for the future of our forests.

1. Ward, M. and Watson, J. 2023. Why Queensland is still ground zero for Australian deforestation. The Conversation. ︎
2. DES. 2018. A Biodiversity Planning Assessment for the Brigalow Belt Bioregion: Expert Panel. Version 2.1. Brisbane: Department of Environment and Science, Queensland Government. ︎
3. The Wilderness Society. 2019. Drivers of Deforestation and land clearing in Queensland. ︎
4. Greenpeace, 2024. New Greenpeace research reveals shocking scale of deforestation crisis in Australia. ︎
5. Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Little left to lose: deforestation and forest degradation in Australia since European colonization, Journal of Plant Ecology, Volume 5, Issue 1, March 2012, Pages 109–120, https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtr038 ︎
6. Finn Hugh C., Stephens Nahiid S. (2017) The invisible harm: land clearing is an issue of animal welfare. Wildlife Research 44, 377-391. ︎

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek today announced that the federal government will establish two new agencies – the EPA and Environmental Information Australia – as a matter of priority, but failed to give clear timelines on the bigger promise to deliver a new and vastly improved national nature law.

The federal government committed to doing so this term in its Nature Positive Plan.

Glenn Walker, Head of Nature at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said that in the face of a biodiversity and climate crisis, there was no time to lose in delivering a full and comprehensive package of reforms.

“Every single second, a native animal is killed from deforestation in Australia. Tens of thousands of hectares of koala habitat is bulldozed without environmental assessment each year. Weak laws and government inaction have made Australia a world leader in deforestation and biodiversity destruction. 

“The situation is urgent — there is simply no time to lose to save our forests and wildlife from the brink of extinction.

“We welcome the establishment of the new, properly resourced and independent EPA and in particular the Minister’s commitment to tackle rampant illegal deforestation. But the EPA will not have the teeth it needs until a strong national nature law also comes into place — forest destruction can also only be dealt with substantively with these legislative changes.

“It is also essential that the EPA is given powers to assess and reject large coal and gas projects where the climate impacts on nature are assessed as significant. Following the hottest year on record, it’s completely untenable that the existing nature law fails to allow this — another reason why it’s critical that the government gets on with the job of introducing the new nature law into parliament as soon as possible.

“What the government has announced today is a bit like a pub without beer — while the new institutions are welcome and important parts of the reform needed, the job is only finished when a strong and ambitious nature law is in place and environmental destruction is stopped.”

The announcement comes following confirmation today that the world is experiencing its fourth global coral bleaching event — the second in the last 10 years — with the Great Barrier Reef currently impacted by severe bleaching.

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of recent deforestation can be found here and here

Media contacts

Kimberley Bernard on 0407 581 404 or kimberley.bernard@greenpeace.org

Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org 

Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Australian Conservation Foundation have urged the Albanese government to forge ahead with ambitious reforms to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) following media reports that industry groups, particularly the mining lobby in Western Australia, are galvanising behind a campaign to ‘slow down’ the process and to carve up the package of reforms.

The federal government is currently undergoing a once-in-a-generation overhaul of the EPBC, which was designed over two decades ago. An independent review in 2020 concluded that the national nature law is not fit-for-purpose, outdated, and in need of fundamental reform to reverse the downward trajectory of environmental decline.

Glenn Walker, Head of Nature at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said that in the face of a climate and biodiversity crisis, industry pressure must not impede the rollout of these much-needed reforms.

“We’re deeply concerned by reports that the mining lobby is attempting to slow down the delivery of these critically important reforms to our national nature law.

“Australia is a world leader in mammal extinctions and the only OECD country on a global list of deforestation hotspots — we simply do not have time for more stalling tactics and hot air from the mining industry, who have a long history of blocking progress on climate and enviromental protection, and greenwashing their polluting operations.

“Establishing a new, strong national nature law is an exciting opportunity for the federal government to deliver on its election promise to protect our environment — we urge Minister Plibersek to stand firm and move forward with the ambitious reforms needed to protect our unique wildlife and places from rampant destruction.”  

Brendan Sydes, National Biodiversity Policy Adviser at the Australian Conservation Foundation, said further delays to EPBC reform would mean more destruction of irreplaceable wildlife habitat.

“It is more than three years since Professor Graeme Samuel delivered his comprehensive and scathing review of Australia’s environment law to the Morrison Government and nearly two years since the most recent State of the Environment report laid bare the dire state of nature in Australia.

“The Albanese government came to office in May 2022 with a commitment to reform this law. 

“Everyone agrees the existing environment law is broken. Nearly 8 million hectares of threatened species habitat in Australia has been bulldozed, logged and cleared since the law came into effect in 2000 and recent ACF investigations show this destruction is continuing.

“Habitat destruction is a leading cause of extinction in Australia, directly contributing to the listing of 60% of Australia’s threatened species. 

“With her announcement that she intends to refuse approval of Walker Corporation’s wetland-wrecking Toondah Harbour marina, retail and apartment complex, Minister Plibersek has shown she is prepared to stand up for threatened species and natural places against those who seek to profit from their destruction.  

“She needs to stand up to the mining lobby and other interests that seek to delay and weaken urgently needed improvements to Australian environment law.”

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of recent deforestation can be found here and here

Media contacts

Kate O’Callaghan, Greenpeace Australia Pacific on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org

Josh Meadows, Australian Conservation Foundation on 0439 342 992 or josh.meadows@acf.org.au 

Since December 2023, The Wilderness Society, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and Queensland Conservation Council have referred six instances of potentially illegal deforestation to the federal government for assessment. In each case, habitat for listed threatened and endangered species, including the koala, northern quoll and greater glider, was bulldozed with no assessments undertaken, and no approvals granted.

The investigation exposes alarming loopholes in Australia’s national environment law, the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), which is currently undergoing a once-in-a-generation reform. The government has released elements of the draft legislation to key stakeholders, including the organisations listed above, but representatives involved in the closed-door sessions have voiced concerns that the reforms outlined so far lack the ambition needed to halt the accelerating decline of nature.

In Australia, an area of bushland and forest the size of the MCG is bulldozed every two minutes, killing and maiming millions of native animals every year. Australia is the world leader in mammal extinctions and a global deforestation hotspot. 

Gemma Plesman, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said that the breaches highlight that Australia’s national environment law is not fit-for-purpose and failing to stop the unregulated destruction of forests and bushland.

“Currently, the EPBC Act does little to address or regulate deforestation. On top of this, the powers that could be used to protect threatened species habitat are very rarely wielded due to the political reluctance to regulate so many bulldozing proposals at a farming property level. This means rampant bulldozing of threatened species habitat is falling through the cracks.

“Australia urgently needs strong, new environmental laws that will halt nature destruction and end the extinction crisis. Greenpeace strongly welcomes the long-overdue overhaul of our broken national nature laws but they need to address the deforestation crisis to succeed.”

Hannah Schuch, Queensland Campaign Manager at The Wilderness Society, said that the Albanese government is letting deforestation go unchecked and any reforms must rein in this environmental crisis.

“As Australia is now globally-recognised as a deforestation hotspot, monitoring the unlawful destruction of forests should not be left to environmental organisations to discover. 

“Australians expect the national nature law to actually protect the wildlife that we pride ourselves on, not to allow the ongoing destruction of vital habitat for threatened species. Stronger nature laws will give certainty to nature, communities and business. These changes are within Labor’s reach.”

Natalie Frost, Nature Campaigner, Queensland Conservation Council, said that Queensland is home to more forest and woodland than any other state, and that the Albanese government must properly enforce the current laws to protect these crucial ecosystems.

“Queensland has a world leading vegetation monitoring system, but sadly this investigation shows that nothing is being done to stop the bulldozing of hundreds of thousands of hectares each year, including forests, home to endangered koalas. 

“With a federal commitment of ‘no new extinctions’, the first step towards that would be to enforce our current laws to stop the bulldozers and protect threatened species like the Northern Quoll and Star Finch.”

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of deforestation can be found here

For interviews contact Kate O’Callaghan, Greenpeace Australia Pacific on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org

New independent research commissioned by Greenpeace has revealed the shocking impact of the deforestation crisis in Australia, with huge swathes of federally-mapped koala and threatened species habitat bulldozed in Queensland.

The new research reveals how little is known about the destruction of native forests and bushland in Australia, with an area the size of the MCG bulldozed every two minutes. The majority of deforestation is occurring in Queensland, driven primarily by beef production.

The data reveals that 2.2 million hectares of forest and bushland was bulldozed in Queensland in just five years — 2.1 million hectares of which was federally-mapped threatened species habitat. Over 730,000 hectares of this was endangered koala habitat.

In Australia, over 90% of deforestation occurs without Federal environmental assessment due to a legal blindspot in our nature laws, the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), which this year faces once-in-a-generation reforms.

Gemma Plesman, senior campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the unregulated destruction of forests and bushland for beef production can not be allowed to continue unchecked.

“The vast majority of deforestation in Australia is for beef production, much of which goes to large companies like McDonald’s, Woolworths and Coles — most consumers would be horrified to know that their steak dinner could be fuelling forest and wildlife destruction,” Plesman said.

“It doesn’t need to be this way. The majority of Australian beef is already deforestation-free but currently, companies like McDonald’s do not have adequate systems in place to rule out deforestation from their supply chain. 

“In the midst of a biodiversity crisis, companies purchasing beef have a responsibility to eliminate deforestation from their supply chain — a practice which is both unnecessary and out-of-step with global demand for responsibly sourced beef.

“This shocking data should be a wake-up call to companies who are effectively hiding the deforestation in their products from consumers. It’s time for them to lead the way with strong commitments to bulldozer-free beef.”

Meghan Halverson, co-founder Queensland Koala Crusaders and conservationist, said that unregulated deforestation is taking a deadly toll on native wildlife, killing and maiming millions of animals every year and placing threatened species like the koala at risk of extinction.

“Around 50 million animals are killed every year in Queensland and NSW alone by deforestation. As a wildlife carer, I see firsthand the horrific injuries inflicted on native animals like koalas and hairy-nosed wombats from deforestation, fires and the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation,” Halverson said.

“Australia holds the unenviable title of world leader in mammal extinctions. It is simply not good enough that we have one of the worst rates of deforestation in the world, alongside places like the Congo and Amazon Basin. 

“If the Labor government is to hold true to its promise of “No New Extinctions”, it must urgently introduce the strong laws needed to protect native animals from habitat destruction.”

—ENDS—

High res images and footage of deforestation can be found here

For interviews please contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org

There are so many beautiful places all over the globe to celebrate, and no two are quite alike. From the medicines that come from the rainforest to the lakes and streams that serve as our freshwater sources, there is no doubt that our well-being is interwoven with that of the environment. However, human impact has stressed many of these environments through pollution, mining, deforestation and changing climates.

The ten locations that follow are both stunning to the eye and biologically diverse. Many have a relatively low human impact due to lower population density or because of their remote location.

Today, these places appear to us as nature in its purest form, but how will they look tomorrow if we do not stand up to companies that are damaging our common home.

In order to protect these pristine conditions, we must take ownership of our own conservation and environmental efforts. From avoiding excessive plastic use to contacting your local representatives to demand change, the future of the environment is in our hands. Let us reflect upon what we are lucky to have on behalf of the planet, but more importantly, to recognise the importance and urgency in continuing to protect it.

1. The Rainforests of Papua New Guinea

© Markus Mauthe / Greenpeace

Areas of rainforest in Papua New Guinea remain relatively untouched by humans due to a spans of protected areas. Local communities have taken the initiative to keep control of their natural resources, and as a result the biodiversity has flourished for many years. Sadly, today, more than 60% of Papua New Guinea’s ancient forests have been lost to deforestation. And in Australia, we are part of the problem. Read more here.

2. The Galapagos Islands

© John Goldblatt / Greenpeace

The Galapagos Islands are home to incredible biodiversity, both terrestrial and marine. The endemic species of these islands were famously studied by naturalist Charles Darwin, and many of these species are found nowhere else in the world. The Ecuadorian government has created many initiatives to continue protecting this valuable ecosystem, such as a visitor management system that helps to monitor and halt invasive species introduction.

3. Seychelles

Photo by Alin Meceanu on Unsplash

A picturesque white sand beach in the Seychelles perfectly depicts the pristine landscape that is found all throughout this particular archipelago. Found off the eastern coast of Africa, the local government has instituted many marine protected areas which have been successful in warding off illegal fishing.

4. Namibia

Photo by jean wimmerlin on Unsplash

Located in Southern Africa, Namibia is one of the only countries to have a commitment to conservation outlined in its constitution. The country has also had great success in fighting poaching, as government organisations and the private sector have joined efforts to achieve greater environmental protection.

5. Antarctica

© Paul Hilton / Greenpeace

Only inhabited by its indigenous wildlife and a small number of scientists, Antarctica is the only continent on earth without its own native population. The almost entirely undeveloped landscape accommodates a limited number of hardy native species, such as the elephant seal, humpback whale, and emperor penguins. Additionally, there is a surprisingly high amount of plant diversity in the Antarctic, including numerous well-adapted moss and lichen species.

Sadly, the impacts of climate change and industrial-scale fishing operations are placing increasing pressure on this unique ecosystem.

6. The Great Australian Bight

© Ella Colley / Greenpeace

The Great Australian Bight, an open bay off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia, is home to dozens of seaside communities, majestic southern right whales, sea lions and hundreds of kilometres of towering cliffs. The Bight is also a breeding ground for many unique species, and 85% of Great Australian Bight marine life is found nowhere else on earth. 

7. Tanzania

© Roberto Isotti / A.Cambone / Homo ambiens / Greenpeace

Community based wildlife protection in Tanzania helps to maintain overall biodiversity of the East African country. Pictured here, an African bush elephant walks throughout Ngoro-ngoro National Park, Tanzania. Establishment of Wildlife Management Areas has helped to protect this elephant and many other species from poaching and habitat loss.

8. Jujuy Province, Argentina

© Martin Katz / Greenpeace

Located in the northernmost areas of Argentina, the Jujuy Province is home to a vast landscape of jungles, kilometres of salt flats, and towering mountain ranges. Pictured here is the Calilegua National Park, a federally protected area that is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the country. Transpiration from the dense forest vegetation creates low-lying clouds that weave their way through the treetops, as pictured above. Unfortunately, has been a history of being a target for oil exploration.

9. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

© Greenpeace

Full of vast mountain ranges and snow-covered peaks, Jasper National Park is the largest National Park in the Canadian Rockies. It is also home to healthy populations of rare North American fauna, such as grizzly bears, moose, caribou and wolves. 

10. Bear Island, Norway

© Mitja Kobal / Greenpeace

Bear Island, the southernmost island in the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, is a federally protected area that is uninhabited and undeveloped by humans. Native species and large seabird colonies can be found on the island, oftentimes captured circling the steep cliffs. Bear Island also is dotted with glacial formations, caverns, and isolated rock pillars.

The wonder and beauty of our natural world cannot be captured in a mere ten photos, yet these images help to remind us what is at stake. World Environment Day is a powerful reminder and call to action for us all. We can all take steps to be a better citizen of the Earth, and can play a role in calling upon our decision-makers do the same. 

The world is experiencing an unprecedented climate crisis. To stabilise global temperatures, and prevent the situation getting even worse, emissions must reach net zero as soon as possible.

This means phasing out the mining and burning of fossil fuels and switching to 100% renewable electricity by 2030.

The Hero to Zero report finds that while momentum with corporate 100% renewable electricity targets is building, most of the highest-emitting companies in the ASX200 with a net-zero target are yet to outline firm plans to get off coal and switch to renewable energy. Many propose to rely on carbon offsets.

But carbon offsetting is riddled with problems and in many cases is no more than corporate greenwash.

During the Covid-19 crisis, Greenpeace will be keeping an eye on ongoing corporate lobbying by fossil fuel companies that puts our climate and environment at risk while people are physically distancing. While most people have put public health first and are staying at home, corporate lobbying has not only continued, but fossil fuel companies appear to be exploiting the crisis to push an extreme anti-environment agenda. And koalas are in the firing line.

Koalas are adorable creatures – they sleep during the day and can travel vast distances at night, searching for leaves to forage on. However, many of their favourite feed trees are now in critically endangered ecosystems that have been put at risk of extinction by bulldozers, a drying climate and increasingly severe bushfires. The longer the distance between habitat areas, the further these furry creatures have to travel, and this can cause koalas to become exhausted or dehydrate. Recent research by WWF Australia has suggested that koala numbers in NSW have dropped by between a third and two-thirds over the past twenty years.

One of the koala’s favourite ecosystems is a critically endangered ecological community called White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland, which has suffered heavy losses as coal mining companies have bulldozed some of the last parts of this ecosystem in recent years. In years gone by, mining used to involve sending people down a hole with a pick-axe, but as mining companies dig to deeper and more expensive coal seams, more destructive open cut coal mining, which involves mass bulldozing and open-air blasting with explosives, has become the new norm as companies seek to cut costs.

In 1999, the Howard Government introduced a federal law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in recognition of the need to reverse the huge losses of Australia’s incredible biodiversity and the ongoing march of species and ecosystems towards extinction. The Act makes it illegal to do anything that is likely to have significant impacts on threatened species and ecosystems, with penalties of up to seven years’ jail. Predictably, the Act has always been unpopular with mining companies, who see biodiversity protection as a barrier to profit. When the law was first written, mining companies and developers managed to secure an escape clause that allows the Minister to allow destruction of threatened species habitat under exceptional conditions, subject to strict environmental conditions. Unfortunately, instead of being used sparingly, that clause has been used thousands of times to justify environmental damage. For over a decade, mining companies have been pushing for environmental decisions to be handed over to state governments, who depend more heavily on royalty revenue.

Over the weekend, while most people were nervously checking the spread of the coronavirus, the Federal government gave the coal industry part of what they wanted, by announcing a change to a bilateral agreement between the Federal and NSW Government about environmental assessment.

The most significant part of the announcement involved the most controversial part of the mine assessment process, which is a practice called offsetting.

In theory, if a mining company wants the government to agree to a mine that would lead to significant destruction of threatened habitat, they need to prove they have done everything possible to avoid, mitigate and offset the damage – in that order. Avoid means that if the company doesn’t “need” to destroy part of an ecosystem, they shouldn’t. Mitigate means that if they are causing damage, they should reduce their impact as far as possible. Offsetting is meant to be used as a last resort, but in practice, the use of offsetting is widespread. In 2014, a Senate inquiry unearthed huge scandals in biodiversity offsetting, including misleading claims by companies, phantom offsets, and even companies mining areas that were already set aside as offsetting by another project. The inquiry found that critically endangered ecological communities can’t sustain any further loss, and recommended that they should never be available for offsets. Unfortunately, the Federal government has still not implemented the recommendations of that inquiry.

So what is an offset anyway? The basic idea is that if a company is destroying threatened ecosystems, they need to buy replacement habitat for the animals that depend on it, like the koala. The aim is to encourage those animals to move to a new area, but the reason it’s a last resort option is that the habitat has to already exist. The principles of offsetting are that the replacement habitat has to be the same ecosystem, in as good as or better condition as the ecosystem under threat, immediately available, and the purchase of the offset needs to give it better protection than it otherwise would have had.

Under this weekend’s agreement, mining companies will now be able to use a system where instead of being required to look for and buy replacement habitat, they will be able to pay the NSW government to do the job for them. In practice, if the Government can’t immediately find replacement habitat, there won’t be legal consequences for mining companies who send in the bulldozers, as long as they’ve paid the fund. 

Unfortunately, nobody told the koalas that they might have to wait around a few years before the Government finds a new home and food source for them. In situations where an ecosystem has been so heavily cleared that it’s impossible to find enough replacement habitat, like with White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland, which you’ll remember is a favourite koala home, the process can become absurd.

The mining industry doesn’t like the Federal environmental law, and we agree, but for a completely different reason. The fact is that the Federal law is just not strong enough to prevent extinction, and that’s why we need a new generation of environmental laws. While this weekend’s announcement was about environmental assessment, the fossil fuel industry wants the government to go further and also hand final decision-making power to the states. It’s critical that we don’t let that happen.

We’ll keep fighting for environmental laws that work, and watching out for threats to koalas, but it will take all of us together to demand the Government put our precious ecosystems ahead of corporate greed. Share this blog post to let your friends and family know what our government are trying to get away with in a time of crisis.