Why is land clearing bad news for the Great Barrier Reef?

When the Federal Government approved the bulldozing of nearly 2,000 hectares of forest on Cape York's Kingvale Station this month, critics warned that the clearing would add to the sediment load running onto the Great Barrier Reef.

More than 1,000 tonnes of extra sediment could land on the reef annually.

Many said the approval undermined the Government's $500 million budget commitment to protect the reef, and was at odds with Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) advice, which lists land-based run-off as a significant threat.

So how does land clearing affect sediment runoff, and what implications can this have for downstream marine environments like the Great Barrier Reef?

Read Joanna Khan’s story from ABC News - “Why is land clearing bad news for the Great Barrier Reef?”

Tree clearing clamp down creates backlash for Labor

The divisive issue of tree clearing.

Federal Labor's push to clamp down on tree clearing has created backlash in farming communities in the key state of Queensland, putting the Opposition on a collision course with rural electorates.

As part of its new-look climate change policy, Labor has threatened to override state governments that fail to put the brakes on vegetation clearing.

Clearing involves bulldozing trees, or ripping them from the ground with a large metal chain, to make way for agriculture or development.

"I think you need to trust the people who are on the land and who have managed the land for many generations," Queensland grazier Nikki Cameron said.

Read the ABC story - “Land clearing laws spark backlash from Queensland farmers as Labor pledges federal takeover.”

(Nikki Cameron’s observation about farmers having managed the land for many generations is obviously true, but the facts that guided those generations, which are now being followed by the existing generation have changed and we need to think what former economist the late John Maynard Keynes said: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"

Today’s climate, in every sense, is different than what it was just a generation ago and what was once appropriate, no longer is – Robert McLean).