Australia Yearbook - 2009-10

and possibly local, or complete, extinction of
species.
Since European settlement, about 13 per cent
of Australia’s vegetation has been cleared. This
includes 34 per cent of rainforest, 30 per cent
of mallee, 60 per cent of coastal wetlands in
southern Australia, 31 per cent of Eucalyptus
open forest, 99 per cent of temperate lowland
grasslands and 34 per cent of Eucalyptus
woodlands. In the marine environment, similar
loss of habitat is occurring, with important
breeding areas such as mangrove forests
declining across Australia’s coastline. Whilst
broad-scale clearing has been reducing in
Australia since 2002, native vegetation is still
being cleared faster than it is being replaced. A
net loss of around 260,000 hectares of forest
per year occurred between 2000 and 2004,
mainly from clearing for agriculture and urban
development.
Invasive species
Invasive species are a major factor contributing
to the loss of biodiversity in Australia. The
negative effects of invasives do not just involve
direct loss of species from predation,
competition with native species and grazing
impacts. They also impact upon land
degradation, soil erosion and changing habitats
and landscapes. For example, a number of
introduced mammals such as cattle, sheep,
buffalo, pigs, horses, camels and goats cause
extensive damage to vegetation, soils and water
bodies through grazing and trampling.
Invasive species comprise around 6 per cent of
Australia’s terrestrial mammal species, and
there are more than 2500 species of introduced
plants established in the wild. In the marine
environment, Australia has over 250 introduced
species. Furthermore, it is estimated that
approximately 20 new pests or diseases reach
Australia each year.
6. NUMBER OF EPBC ACT LISTED TAXA BY BIOREGION AS AT DECEMBER 2009
Number of Threatened Species
1 - 9
10 - 49
50 - 99
100 - 149
150 - 199
200 - 217
Source: Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Year Book Australia 2009–10 13