Queensland land-clearing shown in aerial and satellite images

The tree-clearing explosion occurring in Queensland, usually reported in seemingly impossibly large numbers of hectares or square kilometres, is now being documented using publicly available satellite and aerial photography, revealing the graphic disfigurement of the remaining untouched bushland there.

In one property about an hour’s drive from Mackay, hundreds of hectares of previously untouched forest have been cleared, in a move that appears to have occurred outside even the lax laws currently in place in Queensland. Using Google Earth, the clearing can be seen in graphic detail.

The area is a reef catchment, which means the clearing is likely to increase sediment run-off into the nearby streams, which will eventually flow into the Great Barrier Reef, damaging the delicate coral and seagrass ecosystems there. Tree clearing in Queensland is considered one of the primary drivers of pollution on the Great Barrier Reef. Unesco has put Australia on notice that it is at risk of losing the reef’s world heritage listing if steps aren’t taken.

Read Michael Slezak’s story on The Guardian - “Queensland land-clearing shown in aerial and satellite images.”