Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation in Australia. Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of natural wetlands for replacement with agriculture, urbanization and other land uses.
Land clearing remains a significant environmental issue in Australia. Conservation and government reports estimate that approximately 500,000 hectares of native vegetation are cleared each year, mainly for pasture expansion in Queensland and New South Wales. The Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands are among the regions with the highest recent rates of clearing.
Eastern Australia is considered one of the world's global deforestation hotspots, with rates of vegetation loss comparable to tropical regions such as the Amazon. Recent studies link large-scale clearing to habitat loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and declines in biodiversity, particularly affecting species such as koalas and greater gliders.
Land clearing is regulated primarily at the state level. Queensland and New South Wales have introduced laws to limit or monitor clearing. Despite these measures, satellite data and environmental assessments indicate that unregulated and secondary clearing continue across parts of the country.
History and trends Land clearing in Australia began soon after European settlement, when forests and bushlands were removed to create farmland and settlements. Historically, the rural sector was viewed as an important piece of the economic fabric of Australia.Land Clearing: A social history - NCAS technical report ... Australian Greenhouse Office . (2000, September). https://www.dcceew.gov.au/themes/custom/awe/fullcam/Help-FullCAM2020/reps/TR4 Land Clearing A Social History.pdf Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, governments encouraged clearing through land grants and subsidies, viewing it as a means of increasing productivity and contributing to national progress. Throughout the mid to late twentieth century, land clearing continued to be associated mostly with agricultural expansion. Technological advancements further reduced the cost and effort required to clear the land, which led to more wide-scale clearing projects at a faster rate. Clearing in the twentieth century was also heavily influenced by financial incentives provided by the State Governments. These included tax concessions and access to land at a lower cost, which reduced the cost of clearing and made land development more economically attractive. Land clearing was also undertaken to raise land values, as cleared land held higher market values compared to uncleared land.Land Clearing: A social history - NCAS technical report ... Australian Greenhouse Office . (2000, September). https://www.dcceew.gov.au/themes/custom/awe/fullcam/Help-FullCAM2020/reps/TR4 Land Clearing A Social History.pdf From 1925 until 1987, the Rural Credits Development Fund aided rural development. Additional funding for rural expansion also became available through institutions such as the Commonwealth Development Bank, which provided loans that often included land development. Financial deregulation in the 1970s further increased the availability of loans meant for property development and clearing.
Before to the early 1970s, landholders were able to deduct the full cost of clearing native vegetation. Then, changes were introduced in 1973, which reduced the concessions by spreading deductions over a longer period. However, since 1983, clearing costs were no longer tax deductible, and tax incentives were instead directed toward conservation efforts such as restoring native vegetation and focusing on landcare activities.Large-scale land development schemes also contributed to clearing trends, such as the Brigalow Land Development SchemeLand Clearing: A social history - NCAS technical report ... Australian Greenhouse Office . (2000, September). https://www.dcceew.gov.au/themes/custom/awe/fullcam/Help-FullCAM2020/reps/TR4 Land Clearing A Social History.pdf and the War Service Land Settlement Scheme, which provided low-interest bank loans and financial support programs such as drought relief assistance.
By the late 1980s and early 90s, opinions toward land management began to shift, with greater acknowledgement of land degradation and the environmental impacts often associated with extensive clearing. This coincided with the removal of many financial incentives and the introduction of stronger regulatory controls. As a result, clearing rates declined in many parts of Australia during the 1990s, although clearing continued in some regions.Land Clearing: A social history - NCAS technical report ... Australian Greenhouse Office . (2000, September). https://www.dcceew.gov.au/themes/custom/awe/fullcam/Help-FullCAM2020/reps/TR4 Land Clearing A Social History.pdf
Causes
Land clearing in Australia is influenced by multiple factors, including agricultural expansion, urban and infrastructure development, timber extraction, bushfires and broader economic and policy incentives.
Agriculture Agricultural expansion, particularly clearing land for livestock grazing and crop production, is a primary driver of land clearing in Australia. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of native vegetation are removed each year to create pasture for cattle and sheep, and to support crops such as cotton. In Queensland, a large proportion of recent clearing, an estimated 86% in 2022-2023, was for the expansion of grazing land.
Large areas of native vegetation have been cleared to create pasture for livestock, especially in Queensland, where the majority of recent clearing has been linked to beef production. Cropping systems such as wheat production have also contributed to historic clearing in fertile regions, including parts of New South Wales.
Economic research has shown that clearing rates tend to increase during periods of favorable commodity prices, as higher potential revenue encourages landholders to expand agricultural operations.
Urban development
Urban development contributes to land clearing when native vegetation is removed to make space for housing, infrastructure, and industry related land uses. While the majority of urban expansion does occur on previously cleared land, growth in regional and peri-urban areas can also result in new clearing of native forest or woodland. Urban-related clearing often occurs in areas near major cities and regional centers where residential and commercial land demand intersects with remaining native vegetation, contributing to ongoing reductions in forest and bushland cover.
Logging Logging and the harvesting of native forest products have also contributed to land clearing in Australia. In some forest regions, large areas have been cleared for timber production, with remaining vegetation often burned or removed as part of logging operations. This type of logging alters forest structure and reduces habitat availability for native species. Native forest logging has continued, including areas where tall forests are still used for timber and wood products, despite regulatory efforts to reduce the impact.
Bushfires and secondary clearing
Bushfires in Australia are frequently occurring events during the hotter months of the year. Bushfires can result in the loss of vegetation and tree cover across large areas. While fire is a natural part of many Australian ecosystems, high-severity fires can cause longer-term reductions in forest and woodland cover. In some cases, the vegetation that regrows after fire is later cleared, particularly in grazing areas where regrowth may be removed to maintain pasture. This type of secondary clearing can increase overall vegetation loss following major fire events.
Economic and policy incentives Higher agricultural commodity prices, including cattle and crop prices, are associated with increased land clearing, as landowners tend to expand production during periods of strong market conditions. Analyses of land clearing trends in New South Wales indicate that changes in livestock and crop prices account for a substantial share of variation in clearing rates.Drivers of land clearing in Australia. Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency . (n.d.). https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/nga-drivers-of-land-clearing-in-australia.pdf Government management policies have also influenced clearing patterns, with regulatory changes linked to a shift away from first-time clearing and toward re-clearing of previously cleared land.
Effects
Land clearing destroys plants and local ecosystems and removes the food and habitat on which other native species rely. Clearing allows weeds and invasive animals to spread, affects greenhouse gas emissions and can lead to soil degradation, such as erosion and salinity, which in turn can affect water quality.
The following table shows the native vegetation inventory assessment of native vegetation by type prior to European settlement and as at 2001–2004. (Given in units of square kilometres)
Vegetation type Pre-settlement total 2005 total Percentage lost Forest and woodland 4,101,868 3,184,260 22% Shrublands 1,470,614 1,411,539 4% Heath 9,256 8,071 13% Grassland 1,996,688 1,958,671 2% Total native vegetation 7,578,204 6,562,541 13%
Land condition As the land cover is crucial to land condition, land clearing exerts significant pressure on land condition. Removal of vegetation also leaves soil bare and vulnerable to erosion. Soil stability is essential to avoid land degradation.
Soil erosion
Soil erosion is very significant pressure on land condition because it undermines existing vegetation and habitats and inhibits vegetation and other biotas that inhabit the vegetation from re-establishing, thus resulting in a "negative" feedback loop. Terrestrial vegetation is a source of nutrient replenishment for soils. If vegetation is removed, there is less biological matter available to break down and replenish the nutrients in the soil. Exposing soil to erosion leads to further nutrient depletion. Soil erosion from deforested land has also affected the water quality around the Great Barrier Reef.
Salinity
Another consequence of land clearing is dryland salinity. Dryland salinity is the movement of salt to the land surface via groundwater. In Australia, there are vast amounts of salt stored beneath the land surface. Much of Australian native vegetation has adapted to low rainfall conditions, and use deep root systems to take advantage of any available water beneath the surface. These help to store salt in the earth, by keeping groundwater levels low enough so that salt is not pushed to the surface. However, with land clearing, the reduced amount of water that previously got pumped up by the roots of the trees means that the water table rises towards the surface, dissolving salt in the process. Salinity reduces plant productivity and affects the health of rivers and streams. Salinity also affects the lifespan of roads and other infrastructure, affecting the economy and transportation.
Biodiversity Land clearing is a major cause of habitat loss and fragmentation in Australia and is listed as a key threat to many threatened plant and animal species. The removal of native vegetation reduces habitat availability and food and shelter resources, increasing the risk of population decline and extinction. National conservation assessments indicate that habitat loss linked to deforestation affects a large proportion of threatened species.