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Queensland's quandary

Aussie state faces farmers' wrath as it curbs land clearing which threatens environment

Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country's forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil's cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. A report by the Climate Cou
Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country’s forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil’s cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. PHOTO: WWF AUSTRALIA
Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country's forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil's cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. A report by the Climate Cou
A report by the Climate Council in April found Queensland was responsible for 50 per cent to 65 per cent of the loss of native forests in Australia in the past 40 years. PHOTO: THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country's forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil's cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. A report by the Climate Cou
The dust clouds raised during mass clearing of land in Queensland have been so great that they can apparently be seen from the moon. PHOTO: EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY SENTINEL 2 MISSION
Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country's forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil's cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. A report by the Climate Cou
Koala mother and joey seeking refuge on a bulldozed logpile in Queensland. PHOTOS: BRIANO / WWF-AUSTRALIA, THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country's forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil's cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. A report by the Climate Cou
The two-bulldozer method of clearing land was pioneered in the 1930s by a young farming contractor named Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who went on to become Queensland’s longest-serving premier, from 1968 to 1987. PHOTOS: BRIANO / WWF-AUSTRALIA, THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY
Bulldozing of land in Queensland. Experts say the Australian state, which has about 40 per cent of the country's forests, has been clearing its bushland at a faster rate than Brazil's cutting down of its Amazon rainforest. A report by the Climate Cou
The squirrel glider is among animals whose homes are threatened by land clearing in Queensland. PHOTO: BRIANO / WWF-AUSTRALIA
Jonathan Pearlman For The Straits Times In Sydney
Updated
Jul 16, 2018, 02:26 AM
Published
Jul 10, 2018, 05:00 AM
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A conservation scientist for the WWF, Dr Martin Taylor, said about 55 million trees were bulldozed in 2015-16, killing an estimated 45 million animals. Queensland covers about 1.7 million sq km and, if it were a country, would be the world's 17th-largest, just behind Indonesia and Libya.

"We have a huge problem," Dr Taylor told The Straits Times. "Queensland is responsible for the lion's share of land clearing in Australia. There is so much more left to clear there. In the southern states, a lot of it happened years ago."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 10, 2018, with the headline Queensland's quandary. Subscribe

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