Small persistent humid forest clearings drive tropical forest biomass losses

"Tropical forests store about half of the global forest above ground carbon (AGC), yet extensive areas are affected by disturbances, such as deforestation from agricultural expansion and degradation from fires, selective logging, and edge effects...Findings highlight the disproportionate impact of small clearings on tropical carbon losses, suggesting the need to curb land-use changes and protect young and recovering forests."
>>
Xu, Y., Ciais, P., Santoro, M. et al. Small persistent humid forest clearings drive tropical forest biomass losses. Nature 649, 375–380 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09870-7 (paywall)
#Deforestation #Climate #LoggingImpacts #degradation #FCNSW #NSWLogging #PostHarvestBurn #DeliberatelyBurningAForest #EPA #MicroClimate #bushfires #NativeForests #AGC #BookkeepingApproach #ESA #TropicalForests #biodiversity

Large-scale mechanical thinning of biodiversity
Forests as machine-accessible landscapes

""Large-scale mechanical thinning operations are essentially a waste of money. At worst, they degrade forests, making them more flammable, eroding habitat, compromising water security and compacting soils."
>>
https://theconversation.com/victorias-mountain-ash-forests-naturally-thin-their-trees-so-why-do-it-with-machines-268201
#loggingImpacts #NSWLogging #thinning #Biodiversity #wildlife #machines #FossilFuel #climate #nativeforests #destruction #loggingIndustry #extractivism

Roadless area conservation: No roads, no extractive activities

Trump pushes to allow new logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
* "The move would affect more than half of the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, opening it to potential logging, energy and mining projects. It would undercut a sweeping Clinton administration policy known as the “roadless rule,” which has survived a decades-long legal assault." >>
https://geosinstitute.org/past-initiative-forest-legacies/tongass/trump-pushes-to-allow-new-logging-in-alaska-s-tongass-national-forest/

* "Roadless area conservation is a conservation policy limiting road construction and the resulting environmental impact on designated areas of public land...In 'Industrial Tourism and the National Parks': Abbey describes road construction as "unnecessary or destructive development" and the loss of wilderness as a consequence of what he called "industrial tourism", where once-secluded natural areas become popularized and degraded." >>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadless_area_conservation

* What Is the Roadless Rule? "Enacted in 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule) designated forests across the country as “inventoried roadless areas,” prohibiting the building of — you guessed it, new roads — but also logging and other harmful industries on these lands." >>
https://environmentamerica.org/articles/what-is-the-roadless-rule-and-why-should-you-care-about-it/
#forests #biodiversity #rainforest #roads #harm #extractivism #roadless #conservation #LoggingImpacts #mining #tourism #BellingenLogging #GlenifferRoad #NSWLogging #RoadlessRule

Crime against wildlife is surging in Australia
Flogging off native animals and plants

" Around the world, wildlife and environmental crime is surging. It is estimated to be the fourth largest organised transnational crime sector, and to be growing at a rate two to three times faster than the global economy."

"This is a considerable problem, because Australia has unique and endemic wildlife species, high extinction rates, and is a country that is difficult to police due to its sheer size and vast remote areas. Our new, Australia-first study addresses this knowledge gap."

"We don’t understand the full extent and impact of these crimes in Australia, but we do know they can be disastrous. Wildlife trafficking and illegal trade erodes biodiversity through the removal of native species from their habitats. It also fuels the spread of invasive species, parasites and diseases."

"Over half of the environmental crimes (61.3%) occurred in outer regional and remote areas of Australia. "
>>
https://theconversation.com/crime-against-wildlife-is-surging-in-australia-these-4-reforms-can-help-tackle-it-273006
#Biodiversity #extractivism #CITES #monetisation #TakeCulture #WildlifeTrafficking #crime #loggingImpacts #deforestation #LandClearing #ecosystems #destruction #Trade #pets #consumption #NativeSpecies #flora #reptiles #birds #extinction #WEC #fishing #harm #exploitation

Gentle logging certification

"Our analyses indicate that logging operations are compromising Australia's intention to meet its conservation goals...Our findings highlight the need for urgent reform in Australia's certification schemes and the importance of a significant expansion in protected areas." Professor David Lindenmayer

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-05/sustainable-timber-certification-concerns/105904122
#biodiversity #logging #LoggingImpacts #conservation #climate #NSWLogging #plantations #expansion

Australia has new laws to protect nature. Do they signal an end to native forest logging?

"There is a straightforward way to avoid the ecological, administrative, and financial problems created by native forest logging – stop it altogether. The evidence shows ending native forest logging would deliver significant benefits for biodiversity, forest ecosystems, and reduce fire risks."
>>
https://theconversation.com/australia-has-new-laws-to-protect-nature-do-they-signal-an-end-to-native-forest-logging-271203
#NativeForests #LoggingImpacts #BAU #EPBCact #Biodiversity #conservation #governance #PoliticsOfUnsustainability #harm #thinning #LoggingIndustry #bushfires #risks

Degradation caused by human activities:
"Indonesian environmentalists blame rapid forest loss in Sumatra for severity of deadly floods."

"Environmental groups say the government is hypocritical and partly to blame for the destruction, given its approval of mining and logging permits. Environmentalists want an official audit of land use in Sumatra and other Indonesian islands, saying extractive industries combined with disasters could produce more devastation."

"...The floods and landslides that have devastated parts of Sumatra have been made worse by extensive deforestation driven by the approval of hundreds of extractive permits... Deforestation and mining activities in Sumatra had intensified the effects of the disaster and led to more deaths."

"Data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry showed in Sumatra there were at least 1,907 active mining permits covering a total area of almost 2.5 million hectares."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-04/why-is-indonesia-the-most-severly-affected-by-cyclone-senyar/106095614
#floods #landslides #diy #extractivism #deforestation #mining #energy #LoggingImpacts #PulpPaper #EU #EudR #forests #climate #plantations #extractivism #biodiversity #governance #IndoPacific

Low fire risk landscapes
Challenging the norm of prescribed burning

* "Research shows long-unburnt forests act to limit fire without human intervention – even as the climate changes."

"Would it be worth removing the short-term defence of prescribed burning to bring forests back to a less flammable state?"

"In our new study, we examined whether phasing out prescribed burning could help Australian forests endure climate change. The answer was clear: it’s entirely possible to stop the cycle of fire feeding more fire, and help forests endure new climatic conditions."
>>
https://theconversation.com/in-1939-a-royal-commission-found-burning-forests-leads-to-more-bushfires-but-this-cycle-of-destruction-can-be-stopped-269099

* Are the alternative ecosystem states produced by positive fire-flammability feedbacks reversible? Philip J Zylstra and David B Lindenmayer 2025 Environ. Res. Lett. 20 124037DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/ae18e7
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ae18e7
#fires #bushfires #Megafires #PrescribedBurning #BritishColonialism #pastoralism #loggingImpacts #climate #GHG #forests #destruction #biodiversity #ecosystems #conservation

A ‘one-time’ offer to fix nature "rammed through"
"Will the new legislation stem the damage to nature?"
>>
https://theconversation.com/long-sought-environmental-law-reform-is-finally-here-but-will-the-compromise-deal-actually-protect-nature-270775
#biodiversity #EPBCAct #climate #fossilFuels #loggingimpacts #extractivism #water #Australia

The federal environmental protection laws - fixing a broken system?

"The Greens have agreed to support Labor’s re-write of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act after securing further concessions from the government amid tense and prolonged negotiations...The deal will clear the path for Labor to ram the legislation through the Senate on Thursday..."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/nov/27/australia-politics-live-barnaby-joyce-one-nation-pauline-hanson-environment-nature-bill-deal-coalition-greens-murray-watt-question-time-anthony-albanese-sussan-ley-ntwnfb
#biodiversity #climate #FossilFuels #extractivism #environment #EPBCAct #water #FastTrackApprovals #loggingimpacts

An intact Great Koala National Park reduces fire risks

Some mainstream media, politicians and the logging industry see Australian flora and fauna as one big ' firebomb' that needs logging urgently.

"...A logged forest is at much greater risk of burning at higher severity than intact forests that have not been logged. Logged forests are at significantly greater risk of high-severity wildfire than intact (unlogged) forests." David Lindenmayer, Ecologist
>> (paywall)
https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-great-national-koala-park-is-not-a-firebomb-it-s-the-opposite-20251113-p5nf1u.html
#BushFires #deforestation #landclearing #biodiversity #ThegreatKoalaNationalPark #NSWLogging #LoggingImpacts #fires #VestedInterests #LoggingIndustry #BellingenLogging #BellingenShire #risks

"New data has pointed to the "systemic" under-reporting of greater glider dens within areas earmarked for logging in New South Wales, which scientists say could result in localised extinctions."

"Environment groups say the new rules have allowed Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW), a state government-owned logging company, to survey less of the forests they plan to log, which has resulted in the number of greater gliders being severely underestimated."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-21/environment-groups-decry-greater-glider-survey-results/106017274

Century-old trees critical to greater gliders >>
https://au.news.yahoo.com/late-night-discovery-in-bushland-sparks-fears-for-rare-aussie-animal-epic-failure-033852924.html
#biodiversity #gliders #nswLogging #LoggingImpacts #wildlife #extinction #FCNSW

Animal friendly infrastructure - Road ecology

"Some 40 million miles of roadways encircle the earth, yet we tend to regard them only as infrastructure for human convenience. While roads are so ubiquitous they’re practically invisible to us, wild animals experience them as entirely alien forces of death and disruption. , the harms of highways extend far beyond roadkill. "
Ben Goldfarb, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet >>
https://www.bengoldfarb.com/crossings

Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet with Ben Goldfarb >>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVkw0fOslck
#biodiversity #wildlife #habitat #roads #highways #NegativeExternalities #Infrastructure #cars #vehicles #crashes #liability #tyres #RoadEcology #RoadKill #signage #fencing #weeds #pollution #LoggingImpacts #mobility #animals #MigratorySpecies #access #barriers #FreewayWalls #crossings #ExtinctionCrisis

Australia's new national environmental standards

"Former ACCC chair condemns proposed exemption allowing minister to approve projects that don’t comply with law. Samuel, who led a 2020 review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, also argued a loophole that effectively exempts native forest logging from the laws “shouldn’t be there”.

“Logging operations should be subject to the same rules as mining, agriculture, urban development and so on." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/14/graeme-samuel-calls-for-labor-to-ditch-national-interest-workaround-for-environment-laws

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act)
The problem of ministerial discretion and “national interest” exemptions. >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/115528660854362227

Authoritarianism—but make it look like the rule of law. >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/115528971744822369

#EPBCAct #biodiversity #NationalInterest #law #exemption #MinisterialDiscretion #FastTrackApprovals #VestedInterest #ParliamentaryScrutiny #EnvironmentalLaw #conservation #regulation #governance #democracy #NSWLogging #landclearing #DualState #lawlessness #authoritarianism #LawGuardrails #normalcy #EmergencyPowers #NationalInterest #legitimisation #exemption #constitution #state #governance #LoggingImpacts

Why roads are so dangerous
Avoid the first cut into a forest...

"The first road made into a wilderness area is often the most dangerous. Following the first cut, a host of changes often become unstoppable."
>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwwlxlMoVVQ

Conserving Tropical Forests in a Rapidly Changing World, Bill Laurance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFrSpk--QmU
#LoggingImpacts #NativeForests #deforestation #fragmentation #biodiversity #wildlife #NSWLogging #BellingenLogging #SaveTuckersNob #TheGreatKoalaNationalPark #roads #climate

The nature reform bill: “riddled with loopholes that would enable rampant deforestation and species extinctions to continue at pace”.

"Ken Henry warns Labor’s nature laws ‘are worthless’ unless minister tightens ‘national interest’ exemptions. Every project developer is absolutely convinced that their project is in the national interest... Henry said the vague drafting of the “national interest” exemption and the failure to close loopholes for native forest logging and land clearing were problems that needed to be fixed."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/30/ken-henry-warns-labors-nature-laws-are-worthless-unless-minister-tightens-national-interest-exemptions

Labor’s environmental law overhaul: a little progress and a lot of compromise
https://theconversation.com/labors-environmental-law-overhaul-a-little-progress-and-a-lot-of-compromise-268198
#EPBCAct #exemptions #NationalInterest #deforestation #LandClearing #FastTrackApprovals #NativeForests #LoggingImpacts #climate

New national environmental standards ?

"ACF warns weak nature laws risk repeating decades of destruction. As it stands, this draft bill has too many loopholes that benefit big polluters and bulldozers. This is the biggest nature law reform in a generation, and Parliament has to get it right.”

" ACF is calling on the government to ensure the reforms:

Close loopholes that allow deforestation and habitat destruction to continue .

Establish an independent regulator to enforce the rules without political interference .

Set clear national standards to protect and restore nature, and
Require decision-makers to consider climate harm in every decision. "
>>
https://www.acf.org.au/news/acf-warns-weak-nature-laws-risk-repeating-decades-of-destruction
#biodiversity #EPBCAct #law #nature #NativeForests #LoggingImpacts #exemption #NationalInterest #climate #harm #FossilFuels #deforestation #mining #extractivism #LandClearing

Biodiversity is in catastrophic decline. Here are three ways to ensure Australia’s conservation law actually works

"The commonwealth bureaucracy has failed to enforce the existing laws."

"The exemption for native forest logging should have been phased out. Instead, it was extended."

"The highest priority for the reforms must be to ensure land-clearing is properly regulated."
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/28/australia-conservation-law-biodiversity-decline
#biodiversity #NativeForests #NSWLogging #LoggingImpacts #EPBCAct #extractivism #deforestation #LandClearing #conservation #regulation

Deforestation and no regeneration

"If you go down to the forests today, you’re in for a big surprise (mass deforestation) .
The forest has failed to regenerate after being logged. More and more logged areas no longer support trees where they once did."

"Forests that have not regenerated after logging represent a clear form of deforestation. Deforestation is a major global issue driving both escalating climate change and biodiversity loss. This is why Australia signed international agreements to both halt deforestation and to prevent biodiversity loss. And yet, this problem is evident in our own backyard."
>>
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/10/if-you-go-down-to-the-forests-today-youre-in-for-a-big-surprise-mass-deforestation/

Deforestation harms profits

"Global investors managing over $3 trillion in assets called on governments on Monday to stop and reverse deforestation and ecosystem degradation by 2030, in a statement signed ahead of a U.N. climate conference. As investors, we are increasingly concerned about the material financial risks that tropical deforestation and nature loss pose to our portfolios. Deforestation undermines the natural systems that global markets rely on - from climate regulation to food and water security."
>>
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/investors-managing-3-trillion-assets-urge-countries-stop-deforestation-2025-10-20/
#biodiversity #deforestation #LoggingImpacts #NSWLogging #loggingIndustry #BellingenLogging #climate #NativeForests #TheGreatKoalaNationalPark #degradation #ClimateBreakdown #Australia #governance #EcosystemDegradation #extractivism

Labor is close to a deal on environmental law reforms.
There are troubling signs these will fall short.
No more logging loopholes?
No New Extinctions?
>>
https://theconversation.com/labor-is-close-to-a-deal-on-environmental-law-reforms-there-are-troubling-signs-these-will-fall-short-267102
#Biodiversity #EPBCAct #EPA #destruction #law #FossilFuels #GHG #climate #LoggingImpacts #LandClearing #extinctions