Whilst reading 'The Untrained Environmentalist', by John Fenton (Allen & Unwin: 2010), I came across this line, on page 201. He was writing about the formation of 'the Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts', in 1971, which later became 'the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.' (I believe it is currently the 'Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water - DCCEEW' -(Oh, how the government loves acronyms, the gas lighters of modern language... sorry, I do digress).
John commented in his book, in relation to how long the government had actually claimed to be doing something about the huge problem, the following:
'You would think, then, that in all this time the Australian government authorities would at least have put an end to the deforestation of Australia, which has surely been the biggest single cause of environmental degradation. But no, the loss of trees goes on.'
I was initially heartened to have a peek at he current DEECA website, which outlines various initiatives being undertaken in the state of Victoria, such as the 'Bush bank program' https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/bushbank
However, we are about to enter an election and who knows what programs are going to continue after that. Also, I was very disheartened to read on the Australian Conservation Foundation Website, (which states on the site that it is a non-profit, partisan organisation), the following:
'More than 7.7 million hectares of forest and woodland that were potential habitat for threatened species was bulldozed in Australia between 2000 and 2017. That’s an area bigger than Tasmania/lutruwita, gone in just seven years.'
To be honest, even reading these facts is making me feel sick right now. I feel such a wave of different emotions. I'm kind of angry at myself for living in a state of ignorance for so long, as well as feeling a sense of urgency, a feeling of desperation and a feeling of despair that somehow most of us are walking around with our eyes shut, paying more attention to the mostly superficial time-wasting content that's being fed through social media, advertising and TV than to the problem that is right in front of us. What on earth is happening?
'For every 100 hectares of native woodland cleared, about 2,000 birds, 15,000 reptiles and 500 native mammals will die.
Every single year, deforestation in Australia leads to the injury, displacement and the deaths of 50 to 100 million native Australian animals.'
(Australian Conservation Foundation Website, viewed 23/04/25).
It could then, perhaps be estimated, (very roughly, as that is all that's possible), that an area that housed sixteen thousand trees, (assuming an average tree spacing of 2 meters x 2 meters - 4 square meters per tree), would be an area of around 6.4 hectares (64,000 square meters). (I'm no mathematician, I must admit to using the dreaded AI to work this out, sorry!).
So - the loss of sixteen thousand trees, the number I am considering in my little project, would mean roughly that:
- 130 native birds will have died
- 980 reptiles will have died
- 30 native animals will have died
Then I think about how many major infrastructure projects are currently going on of which this North East Link Project is just one. https://www.consultanz.com.au/australia-major-infrastructure-projects-list/ provides more information on at least ten of them that are going on right now.
And these are in addition to the deforestation that is going on.
Argh. It's overwhelming. What on earth are we actually doing?
I won't keep focusing on the bigger picture. For me, I need to stay close to the ground, but it's opening up my eyes and making me realise that we need to advocate for our trees, and in turn, our native animals, birds, reptiles, insects, fungi, and so much more, that keeps us alive. How does 'convenience' and more room for extra vehicles (and carbon emissions) ever weigh with the need for us to breathe and to have clean water to drink, and healthy food to eat? We can't keep stomping on precious things in the name of 'progress', can we?
It's a lot of food for thought. I hope I haven't depressed you. But - I push on, regardless of the glazed eyes of people who go into zombie mode when the truth is spoken.
Images - 1 & 2 North East Link Project night at Bulleen, April 2025, 3. Kookaburra at Warrandyte taken 22/04/25. Copyright Sue Oaks 2025.
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