Australia is a diverse country with many different types of land from desert to tropical to temperate. Within this diverse county there are millions of hectares of forests, actually 125 million hectares to be exact according to The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DOA). The Australian DOA also says Australia has the 7th largest forest area in the world making up 3% of Earth’s forests. Within the country of Australia there are many different diverse forests including Eucalypt, Acacia, Rainforests, Callitris, Mangrove, Casuarina, Melaleuca, and some other native forests. All these forests are important to the country of Australia for a variety of reason, but there are some threats affecting these forests.
There are many
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Acacia forests make up 8% of all forests in Australia and are an iconic Australian species. There are almost 1000 different species of acacia plants in Australia mostly in Queensland and more arid regions. Another type of forest is the Rainforest which makes up 3% of Australia’s forests. Rainforests are found mostly in Queensland and Tasmania and are very rich in biodiversity. There are also the Melaleuca forests which are made up of trees commonly known as “paper barks” because of there multi-layered, thin, papery bark. Melaleuca trees are a source of essential oils and help reduce erosion and sediment …show more content…
These forests are valued for many reasons like the biodiversity they hold in the different types of plants and animal that live within them. There are over 16,800 different plant species living in Australian forests and they provide food for over 2200 animals. Also, these forests are used for commercial resources such as honey, essential oils, and timber. A large value that many people do not think about is ecotourism, thousands of people travel every single day to hike through the forests, camp, bushwalk, and birdwatch. This brings the country revenue and people get to see the beautiful forests of
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter (drug war facts, Page 1).
Dheeraj Patel Journey Around Canada 2. How do the natural characteristics of Canada influence human activity, and how might human activity influence Canada’s natural characteristics? (B1) In the Central part of Canada there are many different human activities that affect natural characteristics. In the Central part of Canada there are many interior plains landforms.
Deforestation is the clearing of a forest and/or cutting down of trees for human benefits such as agriculture, wood exports, etc. Deforestation is the cause of numerous environmental impacts such as habitat loss, flooding and soil erosion. It can also cause climate change, by reducing the amount of rainfall and changing the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface and increases the risk of forest . Tree growth is important for biodiversity because they absorb carbon dioxide which is a harmful greenhouse gas . However, since deforestation reduces natural carbon sinks, it disrupts the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air causing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to increase. This poses a serious threat since carbon dioxide traps the sun’s heat and radiated light inside the earth’s atmosphere. So, with the increase in carbon dioxide more heat is trapped and thus adding to the effects of global warming. Among the many places where deforestation takes place, Amazon seems to be one of the most affected ones. More than 20 percent of it is already gone, and much more of it is severely threatened due to deforestation . It is estimated that the Amazon alone is vanishing at a rate of 20,000 square miles a year .
FAO: State of the World's Forests. Rome: Food and Agriculture Office of the United Nations; 2007. Print.
The coasts of Australia are mostly subtropical and tropical rain forests (Turner 21). Australia’s coast is known for their many species of vibrant wildflowers, especially Western Australia (Lepthien 55). Over 1,200 species of orchids call Australia home. Over 80% of these 1,200 species are unique to Australia (Turner 21). The coast also is home to many types of shrubbery and grasses (World Book 912). The Australian Islands are also, mostly a rain forest, specifically
One of the most predominate ecosystems is the forest community. Covering about one-fourth of the land area on Earth, forests consist mainly of trees and other woody vegetation, growing closely together. The trees can be large and densely packed, as they are in the coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest, or they can be relatively small and sparsely scattered, as they are in the dry tropical forests of sub-Saharan Africa. Forests are complex ecosystems that also include “soils and decaying organic matter, fungi and bacteria, herbs and shrubs, vines and lichens, ferns and mosses, insects and spiders, reptiles and amphibians, birds and mammals, and many other organisms” (Audesirk, 2003). All of these components constitute an intricate web with many biological interconnections. A bird may depend on the upper branches of a tree for nesting, while the tree may depend on the fungi surrounding its roots to obtain water and nutrients. A forest performs a number of vital environmental services, such as cleansing the air, moderating the climate, filtering water, cycling nutrients, providing a habitat for animals and provides humans with recreation and beautiful scenery. Resources from the forest supply raw materials, such as lumber, paper products, greenery and pharmaceuticals. Some of the developing issues today concerning forests are fires and what we as a society can do to restore the natural ecosystems within the forests around our world. Many aspects are to be considered when looking at the ecology and bioremediation of forests such as, human activities, wildlife, endangerment and environmental changes. This paper will discuss the effect wildfires have on the forest ecosystem.
Land clearing is the process of removing bushland, forest, woodland or grassland, and most commonly occurs in Queensland and New South Wales. Over the last 200 years 70 percent of Australia’s native vegetation was cleared, most occurring in the past 50 years. Approximately 6 million hectares of various ecosystems were removed between 2001 and 2004 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_clearing_in_Australia, 2010). Australia’s land has been utilized over the past century even though it is known as ‘one of the driest and least fertile continents of the world’ (Australian Conservation Foundation, 2000), although land clearing is still an issue due to increased soil salinity and greenhouse gases.
b) Logging has impacted this special ecosystem. There are trees that are hundreds of years old and their timber is being pushed to be sold for high prices. After World War 2 the Australian economy was booming and timber was in demand. A number of timber mills where made near the Daintree for the purpose of cutting down the forest for the use in infra...
In Indonesia, 8.828 million hectares of forests have been destroyed (see appendix 2). Around fifty acres of forests are removed every minute, not o...
Environmental issues affect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. There are many resources that humans and animal needs to survive; some of the most obvious resources come from the forests. Forests make up a large percentage of the globe. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath, determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. The wood from the forests are used everyday form many useful resources. Moreover, thinning the forests increases the amount of available light, nutrients and water for the remaining trees. Deforestation (forest thinning) is one of the most critical issues of environmental problems that are occurring today.
Reason to Listen: You as the audience should listen and understand why our planet is becoming hotter and hotter, losing specialized species, and in-turn why plants are no longer able to survive for as long as they were able to before.
Rainforests once covered 14% of the worlds land surface, however now it only covers a mere 6%. It is estimated that all rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Trees are becoming more needed and used everyday. We need them cut down for many reasons such as paper and timber, while also needing them ‘untouched’ for other reasons like oxygen, we have to ask ourselves, which is more important? At the current rate, most of the rainforests are being cut down for resources like paper and timber, but less importance is being placed on main resources like oxygen.
Forests are vital for life and have many important functions. They are home to millions of species and protect soil from erosion. Along with this they produce oxygen which is vital for human life, store carbon dioxide and help control climate. They also provide humans with shelter, food and medicines vital for life.
since the beginning of time. Man has been destroying trees for the use of wood for
Farm Forestry, along with Plantations, is very effective in preserving old-growth forests. The Combined Standing Forest Resource in Australia was 1.5 million hectares of planted trees. . In China, the law states that each and every citizen must plant at least 11 trees a year, every year. Raising awareness and education are other... ...