Australia's Forests Face Ongoing Threat with Recent Queensland Fire Incident

Australia's Forests Face Ongoing Threat with Recent Queensland Fire Incident

A recent fire incident in Queensland, Australia, has put a spotlight on the country's ongoing struggle with forest loss and wildfires. Over the past two decades, Australia has experienced significant tree cover loss, with a net decrease of approximately 1.03%. In 2020 alone, the country saw a staggering tree cover loss of over 2.35 million hectares, largely due to wildfires, which contributed to around 76% of the total CO2 emissions from tree cover loss that year.

Wildfires have been the predominant driver of tree cover loss, accounting for a substantial portion of the emissions and loss each year. For instance, in 2019, wildfires were responsible for almost 80% of the total tree cover loss. The trend of increasing tree cover loss due to wildfires is alarming, with the years 2019 and 2020 marking the highest losses.