World class legislation - new land clearing policy for Queensland
Three cheers for the Queensland Government for delivering on its election pledge to implement ground-breaking legislation to halt land clearing throughout the state.
On 29 April 2004 the Queensland Parliament passed the Vegetation Management and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2004 - a bland title for one of the most exciting environmental laws in Australian history.
This Act phases out the large-scale clearing of mature remnant bushland, the single biggest threat to species survival in Australia.
It's been a hard fight but this is one of the biggest ever gains for the Australian environment," said Glen Klatovsky, WWF-Australia's Director Conservation, Campaigns. "This world-leading legislation will save some 20 million hectares of mature bush."
Prior to May 2003, when a moratorium stopped the bulldozers, Queensland had one of the highest rates of land clearing on the planet - an average of 500,000 hectares per year. The environmental costs were catastrophic - species decline, dryland salinity, degradation of our river systems and significant greenhouse gas production.
What does the new Act mean?
Under the legislation, all threatened and 'of concern' remnant bush is protected from clearing immediately. Large-scale clearing of less threatened remnant bush will be capped and phased out by the end of 2006. A $150 million restructuring package will be provided to affected landholders, and includes incentives to manage and maintain native vegetation more sustainably.
What species will be protected and how will they benefit?
Experts calculate that if the most threatened areas of bushland in Queensland were protected from land clearing we would prevent more than 5000 species of birds, animals and insects from becoming threatened. (Possingham et al (2002) Setting Biodiversity Priorities, a paper prepared for the Prime Ministers Science and Innovation Council)
In a report commissioned by WWF, scientists have calculated that land clearing kills more than 100 million birds, mammals and reptiles each year in Queensland. The toll includes approximately:| 160,000 brushtail possums 110,000 feathertail gliders | 1.4 million small mammals such as dunnarts, antechinus, and native rats |
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36,000 greater gliders 36,000 sugar gliders | 8.5 million birds, such as parrots, bellbirds, finches, wrens, treecreepers, thornbills, robins and flycatchers |
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19,000 koalas 89 million reptiles including geckoes, skinks, goannas, snakes and frogs | 29,000 bandicoots 7500 echidnas 233,000 kangaroos and wallabies |
How will increased protection affect landholders in Queensland?
Halting the clearing of mature bushland in Queensland will impact upon some landholders in Queensland. In assessing the financial impacts, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) calculated that a $150 million restructuring package would provide a fair and equitable outcome if the reforms were to be implemented. This includes $130 million for landholders most directly affected, $12 million in incentives for landholders to manage and maintain native vegetation, and $8 million for promotion of best management practice in sustainable agriculture.
What will WWF-Australia do next?
There is still an enormous amount of work to be done. As we found with the Government commitment to end broadscale land clearing in NSW, the implementation phase requires significant effort from our team. This includes a focus on ensuring the legislative and regulatory changes are appropriate and effective.
It is likely there will be continued negotiations both with government and other stakeholders. We also have an ongoing commitment to working with landholders on-the-ground to ensure political statements become practice.
