Deforestation in Australia

Hi.

So I'm Hannah and I did my project

on deforestation and specifically deforestation in Australia.

So first, what is deforestation?

It's the permanent removal of forests for commercial use or land availability

reasons for it are trees are often cut down to harvest

and export their wood for paper or other building materials.

Forests are cleared to make land available for farming, housing or mining

and the building of roads or dams is

another cause of deforestation that's pretty common.

Um It is of global importance because of the loss

of species and its contribution contribution to global warming.

Um specifically deforestation in Australia.

Um 50% of Australia's forests and Bush lands have been lost due to deforestation.

20% of this was rainforest, 19% was open forest and 11% was Malley Forest,

73% of the still forestation is a result of beef production

and 55 animal species and 37 plant species have gone extinct in Australia,

many of which are because of this deforestation.

Um Also because of this,

Australia has the highest mammal extinction rate in the world.

And there's another 700 species of plants and animals that

are endangered in Australia because

they're threatened further by deforestation.

Um 1/3 of carbon emissions released in Australia

are a result of deforestation and this combined

with bushfires and the increasing effects of climate

change calls for urgent protection and restoration.

Australian land and wildlife.

Um

The graph on the left gives a visual idea

of the amount of deforestation that has taken place?

It shows the original state of the land and forests of

Australia versus what areas have been completely cleared or degraded today

and a little about koalas.

They're currently endangered and they are threatened

mostly because of the loss of habitat,

because of deforestation.

Um in the year 2018 alone,

nearly 93,000 hectares of Koala habitat were destroyed and

80% of these hectares were used for commercial agriculture.

Um the first sustainable development goal I researched for this was # 13,

which is climate action.

Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone everywhere,

and the forestation makes up 20% of the world's CO two and greenhouse gas emissions,

which is the main cause of global warming

and it contributes contributes to one third of Australia's

beef production and commercial agriculture.

Often why forests are cleared heavily contribute to this also,

and urgent action must be,

must take place to tackle this direct influence on climate change.

The second sustainable development goal that I looked at was number 15,

which is life on land, uh sustainability, manages forests,

combat desertification,

halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss,

um deforestation directly challenges sustainable development.

And it has threatened around one million species with extinction.

Examples of which are seen

in Australia

and as it leaves them with without a habitat or kills them in the process,

um deforestation is influence on the life on

land can affect the economy and food security,

but most importantly, it affects the quality of life for each species on earth.

Mhm.

And some solutions to deforestation.

Um At a societal level stricter policies and bands need to be put under forestation.

Uh This, combined combined with land restoration,

is imperative to improve the livelihood of species on earth.

And at an individual level,

one must make sustainable choices and encourage others to do the same.

Um Things like consuming less meat,

avoiding single use plastics and choosing

recycled or ethical wood based products will

contribute to the protection of the world's

forests and help combat global warming.

And that's it. Thank you.

Deforestation in Australia

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