How Australia became one of the worst deforesters in the world

Australia is the only nation in the developed world to make the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) global list of deforestation hotspots.

Urban sprawl is a problem in the areas where it
occurs but it's a drop in the ocean compared to
the amount of forest destruction just to produce
 livestock for pasture.

The biennial Living Planet Report, published this week, puts Australia alongside New Guinea, Indonesia, Congo and Brazil for deforestation.

The main cause of this is land clearing for livestock, according to WWF conservation scientist Dr Martin Taylor.

"Most deforestation in Australia is just for livestock pasture," he told Hack.

Read the Triple J Hack story - “How Australia became one of the worst deforesters in the world.”