Australia Faces Growing Crisis in Urban Tree Cover, Calls for National Strategy Mount
Sydney and Melbourne are failing to meet minimum tree canopy targets, sparking concerns over a nationwide lack of strategy to protect vital urban vegetation as growth accelerates. A recent report highlights a “piecemeal approach” to preserving trees, with approximately 30% of Australia’s 2,200+ threatened species now residing in urban environments.
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife warns Australia is ”poorly lacking” a cohesive national strategy for maintaining native vegetation, especially urban trees, recognizing their importance for both human wellbeing and biodiversity.A study published last year revealed that neither Sydney nor Melbourne achieves the recommended “bare minimum” of 30% canopy cover. This shortfall comes as rapid urban development leads to the widespread removal of urban trees, described by one advocate as being “woodchipped.”
“Without national leadership, we have a piecemeal approach,” says the Foundation’s spokesperson, Abrahams. He suggests Environment Information Australia (EIA),a federal government agency established last year to improve environmental data accessibility,could serve as a central repository for tracking illegally removed urban trees.
However,a spokesperson for Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt indicated that state and territory governments retain primary responsibility for regulating unapproved land clearing.”[EIA] is working hard to detect land clearing that has possibly notable impacts on nationally protected species or ecosystems,” the spokesperson stated.
Abrahams emphasizes the numerous benefits trees provide – improved physical and mental health, and crucial cooling effects in urban areas. He offered a stark assessment of those responsible for illegal tree removals: “They shoudl move somewhere else.”
