Biodiversity
The main pressures on Queensland's biodiversity are the clearing of remnant vegetation, changed fire regimes and the impacts of invasive species. While both the size of the protected area estate and the proportion of regional ecosystems represented in reserves increased between 1999 and 2002, there was a significant increase in the number of rare and threatened plant taxa. In particular:
- The clearing of remnant vegetation increased from an average of 446 000 ha/year in the period 1997-99 to 757 000 ha in 1999-2000, and then fell to 377 000 ha in 2000-01.
- The most heavily cleared areas in the period 1997?99 were the Brigalow Belt (260 000 ha), Mulga Lands (85 000 ha), Desert Uplands (51 100 ha) and Mitchell Grass Downs (27 000 ha).
- The ecosystem types with the lowest amount of pre-clearing extent remaining in 1999 were brigalow/gidgee (48%), rainforests/vine thickets (49%), subtropical woodlands (50%), and wet and dry sclerophyll forests (67%).
- More than 30% of northern Queensland (Gulf Plains, Northwest Highlands and Cape York Peninsula) was burnt between April 1998 and March 2000.
- In June 2002, 7 125 303 ha of land (4.1% of Queensland) was in protected areas, up from 7 058 946 ha (3.89%) in 1999.
- The proportion of regional ecosystems represented in reserves rose from 69% in 1999 to 74% in 2002.
- The proportion of bioregions in reserves ranges from 1.6% of the Mitchell Grass Downs to 13.3% of Cape York Peninsula and 19% of the Wet Tropics.
- While the number of threatened animals remained fairly stable between 1998 and 2002, in 2002 an additional 8 plant species were listed as presumed extinct, 68 as endangered, 34 as vulnerable, and 6 as rare.
- The majority of rare and threatened species are found in the Wet Tropics, Brigalow Belt, Southeast Queensland and Cape York Peninsula bioregions.
- Recovery plans have been prepared for 14% of the 588 threatened plants and animals listed under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
- At least 1298 plants, 19 mammals, 13 birds, 15 fishes, 3 reptiles and 1 amphibian have become naturalised.
- Queensland has 15 of the 20 species listed as weeds of national significance and many more species are serious environmental weeds.
- The highest densities of introduced taxa are found in the New England Tableland, Wet Tropics, Central Queensland Coast and Southeast Queensland bioregions.
- Eighteen new plant naturalisations were recorded in Queensland in the period 1999-2001.
Last updated: 19 May 2004