'Inconvenient truth' that's a growing threat to Australia's international tourism reputation
Tropical savannas cover 20 per cent of Australia's landmass and incorporate some of the nation's biggest drawcards like Kakadu, Nitmiluk Gorge and Arnhem Land. But three top ecologists are warning in a new paper that many of those in the Northern Territory are facing collapse, threatening the future of its $1.2 billion tourism industry, which has traditionally been built around wild places.
Insects and birds thrive in the thick grassy understory that grows under open forest and woodlands, but most of the native mammals are already gone. Paper co-author Professor Euan Ritchie fears more losses are imminent. A 'perfect storm' of threats could mean the 'almost deafening' sound of insect noise could soon fall silent.
'You've got the impact of invasive species, you've got fire, you've got climate change. And now to propose a massive increase in land clearing is just going to make the situation worse,' the Deakin University ecologist told Yahoo News Australia.
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With the Great Barrier Reef facing an 'in danger' listing by UNESCO, and concerns about the degradation of the Pilbara's 40,000-year-old Murujuga rock art making international headlines over the last fortnight, there are concerns the crumbling state of the country's most important landscapes is rapidly becoming an international embarrassment.
"Australians are known for being wonderful at sport, but there's this inconvenient truth that we're terrible at conservation and protecting culture. It's shameful," Ritchie said.
"We're getting this pretty horrific reputation that we don't take care of the wonders that we have."
In 2023, around 84 million hectares of northern Australia burned, but because the region is sparsely populated, few people paid attention. When native grasses try to grow, they have to compete with invasive buffel grass, which has been seeded for decades by the cattle industry. The region is also riddled with cats and feral pigs, which contribute to the decline in native mammals like the northern quoll, brush-tailed rabbit-rat and black-footed tree-rat.
With the Top End already facing mounting challenges, ecologists are worried that the territory's already 'slack' environment protection laws are set to allow more habitat destruction that could tip the savannas over the edge.
The researchers estimate that between 2000 and 2020, around 45,000 hectares of savanna habitat was destroyed. Clearing of a further 146,000 hectares has already been approved and another 100,000 could be flattened for the expansion of the cotton industry.
As the State and Future of the Northern Territory's Savannas report was released, a senior Wagiman Traditional Owner, Jabul Huddlestone, spoke out about her concerns.
"I don't want this rubbish, knocking down trees on my country. They are going to take all the goanna away — take away — everything," she said.
"No goanna, no kangaroo, you can't find green plum, black plum, we got the wild potato... but now, there's too much hot fire, too many trees being knocked down — there is no green plum. There used to be big mob down by the riverside — nothing now — all knocked down. Black plum, all knocked down.'
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The report was a huge collaboration supported by Charles Darwin University, Deakin University, Wagiman Traditional Owner, Griffith University, The Environment Centre NT, La Trobe University, University of Tasmania, Wilderness Society and World Wide Fund for Nature Australia.
Environment Centre NT executive director Kirsty Howey said action from government is urgently needed to protect the savannas from bulldozers.
'These savannas are a fundamental drawcard for our tourism industry and represent the lifestyle we know and love as Territorians,' she said.
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