Australia’s deforestation and land-clearing crisis is spreading from the east coast to the Northern Territory, where land targeted for clearing has increased nearly tenfold in just a few years, with applications approved for enormous amounts of clearing in the past two years.
The revelation has led to environment groups calling on the government to freeze the issuing of land-clearing permits and put in place stricter controls. The increasing rates, pushed by high beef prices, bring with it risks to climate, drought resilience and biodiversity.
In 2016 and 2017, the government approved about fifty thousand hectares of land for clearing through the Pastoral Lands Board. That was an almost tenfold jump over the average of the previous 12.
‘Chief minister Michael Gunner needs to stop this unfolding tragedy and freeze the issuing of any more permits while more modern regulations that prevent mass deforestation can be put in place,’ said Shar Molloy, the director of the Environment Centre.
Another property, which is twice as large, approved for clearing through a number of separate applications over the past six years covers an area almost 10 times the size of Manhattan on one property. Satellite imagery suggests a large part of which may already have been cleared there.
The Maryfield proposal was referred to the Environmental Protection Authority, which concluded the site was home to a number of vulnerable species of bird, which would likely be impacted by the clearing.
The assessment also found that the proponents of the clearing on Maryfield had not considered the impacts on greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. But the assessment went on to say that no significant impact on the environment was expected.