The Australian Conservation Foundation has just released a damning report. It still paints a grim picture, depicting the clearing of thousands of hectares of native bushland across Australia from 2020–2025. This massive land clearing is the equivalent of an area roughly equal to 320 Sydney Central Business Districts. The ACF’s satellite-based findings to monitor changes have ignited outrage. Agricultural leaders and state and federal regulators have expressed outrage at these findings.
The report makes it clear that the majority of their clearing amounted to land hungry cattle ranchers using the clearing- their properties. The implications are grave for habitat of imperiled species. ACF spokesperson Nathaniel Pelle said there was no time to waste with federal and state governments boosting protections dismantling incentives for deforestation. Pelle explained, “Out of these 90,000 hectares that we’ve mapped, most of it is very clearly recognizable as cattle farms.”
Controversy Over the Findings
The National Farmers’ Federation President David Jochinke condemned the report as fundamentally flawed, and failing to provide important context regarding normal farming practices.
This self-styled report is a direct and uninformed assault on agriculture,” Jochinke declared. First, it misses the mark on understanding what land stewardship actually means and how agricultural land under stewardship safeguards more than half of Australia’s natural capital estate. He questioned the accuracy of the ACF’s data. Then, tell me,” he went on, “how much of that 90,000 hectares was for woody weed management? And how much of it were actually cleared with proper offsets?
Jochinke admitted that illegal land clearing is a huge issue. He noted that the majority of farmers are dedicated stewards of the land who play a key role in protecting and managing biodiversity. He noted, “Unfortunately, federal and state authorities are not properly monitoring or protecting habitat across the country,” highlighting the need for better oversight.
Investigations Underway
The New South Wales government now has this material from the ACF. In response, they have initiated a Fact-finding Investigation into the alleged illegal clearing of land. A spokesperson from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water told The Guardian they are aware of the allegations from the ACF. The department is now seriously looking into these allegations.
Citizen scientist Ruth Hughes was an important member of the ACF’s project, conducting side-by-side comparisons using before-and-after satellite imagery. Corcoran emphasized that when it comes to changes in land use, the phenomenon is dramatically clear. “Sometimes if you look side-by-side between the two images, it’s really quite startlingly obvious that there’s been deforestation,” Hughes said.
Broader Implications for Biodiversity
In a story as old as time, the current dispute around clearing farmland in Australia reveals a major rift between pro-agriculture and pro-conservation factions. The ACF’s report helps to raise the visibility on habitat loss as a national issue. It highlights that this problem affects varied environments nationwide.
Jochinke alluded to the connection between a healthy environment and thriving agriculture. No one has a greater stake in a healthy environment than farmers and ranchers. It is a travesty that a small number of bad actors still make it profitable to clear cut half our healthy forests. He continued that farmers need to be able to produce while being good stewards of the environment.
