I’m coming to you with a live update from ACF investigates, our citizen science-powered campaign to uncover illegal bulldozing across Australia.
Thanks to the keen eyes of our volunteer investigators, we have uncovered a potentially illegal case of bulldozing. The worst part? Koalas have been spotted within a 5km radius of this area, meaning these trees were likely home to our already threatened furry friends.
The area destroyed was a staggering 25 hectares – that's about 200 Olympic swimming pools! When we received the news, I checked the area and discovered that it also overlapped with areas of protected matter, meaning that there was vegetation older than 15 years old destroyed. These old-growth trees provide critical habitat for koalas and other wildlife.
We assessed the situation and discovered that no approval was sought for this clearing. We immediately reported it to the State and Federal Government for further action. We’ll keep you updated as things progress.
You can see the clearing for yourself – focus on the top far-right corner. You'll see some changing in the bottom right as well, but this is crops not clearing.
While it’s devastating to learn about this destruction, my team and I are buoyed up by the knowledge that we have passionate volunteers who are determined to spot deforestation and stop it in its tracks.
We still have five more weeks of investigating to go. It’s not too late to put on your investigator hat and join us!
In just a few weeks, over 1000 volunteers across Australia have scanned 5 million hectares of land. That’s about ¾ the size of Tasmania. We’ve still got more work to do, and you can help us.