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Yes, Australia’s environment is on a depressing path – but  billion a year could transform it

Yes, Australia’s environment is on a depressing path – but $7 billion a year could transform it

The state of Australia’s environment continues to deteriorate. Many Australians are asking whether it is possible to reverse this depressing trajectory – and our landmark assessment published today shows the answer is yes.

Our report, published today by the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, shows that restoring Australia’s landscape is not only feasible and affordable, but also in the national interest.

Using the best available science and expert advice, we have identified 24 actions worth AUD7.3 billion per year over 30 years that could reverse much of the degradation of the past two centuries.

For comparison, the investment amounts to about 0.3% of Australia’s gross domestic product. It is also far less than the estimated $33 billion Australians spend on their pets each year.

This report is the most comprehensive of its kind ever undertaken in this country. It is a tangible, practical path that challenges the notion that repairing our continent is a task too big and too expensive to tackle.

people who plant trees
Restoring Australia’s landscape is feasible, affordable and in the national interest.
Australian Ark

The strong argument for repair

Australia’s population is expected to grow to 37 million by 2052. The world’s population will reach 10 billion in the same period. Global demand for food will increase and competition for land will intensify.

Climate change is making the task of environmental restoration more urgent. The Australian continent has already warmed by almost 1.5°C since records began. We have seen changes in rainfall patterns, droughts, bushfires, floods and more. Extreme weather is predicted to become more frequent and severe.

About half of Australia’s land area has changed significantly since Europeans arrived. At least 19 ecosystems are collapsing due to climate change and other problems.

In addition, the ability of agricultural areas to maintain productivity has declined significantly and they are increasingly unable to support native species and ecosystems.

cleared land in the middle of forest
About half of Australia’s land area has changed significantly since the arrival of Europeans.
Steven Nowakowski/Greenpeace

Our key findings

Our assessment focuses on five key landscape components that have been identified as degraded in successive State of the Environment reports: soils, inland waters, native vegetation, threatened species and coastal areas.

We defined objectives for each component and actions to achieve them, based on government policy ambitions and expert advice. We then collected data to identify where in the landscape each action was required and what expenditure this would entail. Independent experts reviewed our findings.

Our Blueprint identifies 24 practical actions needed now to restore Australia’s degraded landscapes. See the infographic below for full details.

The list includes:

  • the application of lime and gypsum to agricultural lands to improve productivity

  • remediation of high-risk gullies

  • encouraging landowners to restore vegetation along the banks of rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands

  • restoring 13 million hectares of degraded native vegetation

  • addressing key threats and restoring habitats for threatened species

  • maintaining or improving the condition of degraded salt marsh ecosystems.

small rodent in leaf litter
Endangered species habitat needs to be restored. Pictured: an endangered pookila.
Melbourne Zoo

We estimate that an investment of $7.3 billion per year (in 2022 dollars) will be needed from 2025 to 2054 to implement all of these actions. That includes:

• $580 million to restore the productive base of agricultural lands

• $2.9 billion to restore fragmented, degraded river systems

• $1.7 billion to restore ecosystems to at least 30% of their pre-1750 size

• $1.2 billion to reduce the imminent risk of extinction and ensure the medium-term survival of threatened species on the Commonwealth List of Endangered Species

• $35 million to maintain and improve the health of the estuary

• $640 million in transaction costs (such as legal fees, data and compliance)

• $250 million per year to maintain improvements (such as monitoring and controlling pests, weeds and fire).

Key findings from the report.

How is Australia going to pay for this?

We cannot accurately measure the true costs of environmental degradation to the environment, people and the economy. But evidence suggests that these costs far exceed the costs of restoring nature.

In our report we propose measures for Australia that are feasible and financially responsible.

And they’re also targeting multiple targets. For example, restoring native vegetation across 13 million hectares would also cut almost a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – ​​equivalent to 18% of Australia’s net emissions over the next 30 years.

Through carbon markets, private landowners could be paid to regenerate native vegetation. Our analysis shows that this could generate 7% to 15% of the required investment.

farmer looking at field
Carbon markets could compensate farmers who restore native vegetation.
Carbonlink via AAP

The investment we propose would also support employment and jobs in the short and long term. This would promote a strong circular revenue stream, generating government revenue in the form of income tax, GST and associated revenues.

A wide range of financing mechanisms are needed to implement this plan. As a starting point, we propose:

  • significantly increased public investment in management programs, indigenous land managers and the recovery of endangered species

  • revenue-neutral changes to the tax system to encourage conservation and eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies

  • government investments in the federal government’s green bond program, which allows investors to support government projects that contribute to environmental restoration

  • the use of markets and other emerging private sector solutions to stimulate conservation on private lands

  • fundraising through philanthropy.

Indigenous Australians are the key

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been custodians of the land for over 60,000 years and continue to have a cultural connection to the land and water.

We propose four key actions to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a leading role in the management and restoration of landscapes:

  • Increase indigenous ownership and management of land and water

  • recognize the value of traditional knowledge in areas such as species management and the use of fire to maintain land health

  • establish and enhance programs to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to restore and manage land, such as expanding Indigenous ranger programs and providing resources and long-term funding

  • Ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are supported to create meaningful, commercially sustainable employment and businesses in the country through land and water tenure.

Indigenous Australians in rural areas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been custodians of the land for over 60,000 years.
Central Land Council

A healthier and more resilient Australia

All Australians are stewards of this unique land and marine environment. It is our responsibility to ensure that nature is preserved for its own sake, and for present and future generations.

Our plan builds on successful efforts to preserve the environment. It will not solve everything – for example, it has not addressed air quality, urban settlements or marine environments.

But the actions we propose – if taken collectively, at scale, and within broader public policy reforms – will make our landscapes healthier and more resilient.

Australians don’t have to choose between a healthy environment and a productive economy – we can have both.


The report underlying this article was prepared by the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists with input from more than 60 experts. See the report for the full list of contributors.