Iruni Kalupahana Jadetimes Staff
I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Australia
The Unique Biodiversity
The forests of eastern Australia are considered a global hotspot of biodiversity, with more than 2,000 plant species that occur nowhere else on Earth. These forests contain both temperate rainforests and sclerophyllous communities dominated by Australia's iconic eucalyptus trees. The rainforests have persisted for more than 100 million years, making them among the oldest continuously surviving ecosystems on Earth. In addition to the plant life, a wide array of animals lives in these forests, from all types of endangered species such as the koala and northern hairy nosed wombat. Rich biodiversity is found in the region, with many species still not well understood or even discovered.
Threats to Eastern Australia's Forests
Human activity and climate change pose the greatest risks to the forests of eastern Australia. The 2019-2020 bushfires have razed nearly 19 million acres of land into catastrophic environmental and wildlife devastation. These fires released several hundred million tons of carbon into the atmosphere and decimated critical habitats.
Besides these fires, climate change causes increasingly intense weather patterns, further threatening the stability of these ecosystems. Deforestation from logging and land conversion for agriculture also contributes to the ongoing degradation of the region's forests. The loss of tree cover not only harms biodiversity but also exacerbates climate change by reducing the amount of carbon these forests can absorb.
Habitat Loss and its Impact on Species
A 2021 WWF report found that almost half of eastern Australia's original forests have been destroyed, with significant consequences for native species' habitats. More than 700 species, which include many plants and animals, are threatened with extinction because of the destruction. For instance, the koala population has been badly hit, with habitat loss and disease contributing to its placing on the endangered species list. Being one of the 24 deforestation fronts in the world, eastern Australia has some of the most rapid biodiversity loss on Earth. The wide range impact on global ecosystems includes the destruction of natural processes, pollination, filtration of water, and soil stabilization. Such species may not survive if proper conservation is not developed in the region.
Conservation Efforts and Future Goals
Because of these challenges, WWF and HP are working together on projects that tackle deforestation and forest degradation. Their work ranges from responsible wood sourcing to supporting deforestation free agriculture, to calling for Indigenous land management. Long term, their aim is to restore more than 3,700 acres of degraded koala habitat and better manage another 50,000 acres of forests. It also involves the work of taking care of these lands with Indigenous communities, as their traditional practices have been proven to maintain biodiversity more effectively. These activities are geared toward ensuring that the land and its wildlife can thrive in the future and create a model for sustainable forest conservation. The project aims to improve the resilience of the region's ecosystems to the impacts of climate change and human activity by enhancing forest management.
