From Nature News, 15 March 2019:
Nearly four hundred Australian scientists have signed a letter protesting against a steep rise in land clearing over the past decade. They have called on national and state governments to legislate to protect native vegetation.
The letter describes Australia as a ‘global deforestation hotspot’, following the relaxation of laws protecting native vegetation in New South Wales and Queensland in the past ten years. Land clearing has been linked to increases in the number of threatened species, the letter states, while also contributing to climate change, which heightens the risk of bushfires and drought. Read more.
Bianca Nogrady 