A new report from Climateworks Centre, with Deakin University, suggests Australia can keep food on the table and support thriving nature and communities with a clear national framework to manage our landscapes.
Fragmented decision making, rising resource demands, decades of environmental degradation and the accelerating impacts of climate change are pushing the nation's land systems to their limits.
The question is no longer if land use will change, but whether Australia uses this turning point as an opportunity to build stronger communities, healthier ecosystems and a more resilient economy.
'This new holistic analysis shows how Australia can produce enough food, support healthy ecosystems, and deliver climate action,' said Anna Skarbek, Climateworks Centre CEO.
'It is not a competition between climate, nature restoration and thriving regional communities – with the right policy frameworks we can create win-wins for people and planet, give communities a say in decisions that affect their lives and ensure economic wellbeing for the nation.'
Jo Sanson, lead author and Climateworks Centre Program Impact Manager said decisions around land use and management have largely been fragmented across competing priorities and jurisdictions.
'Siloed policymaking pulls Australia's land in different directions, rather than treating it as one interconnected system,' she said.
'This approach is simply not designed for the scale of change currently underway.'
Climateworks' latest report recommends a national framework that takes a coordinated approach to land use – one capable of meeting several goals at once, and integrating local expertise with national objectives.
'Australia is not alone in facing unprecedented changes in its landscapes. Countries like the United Kingdom are establishing national frameworks to deliver for their people and environment.'
'Australians have the resources and experience to manage the shift.'
'The risks of inaction are clear – the decisions made today will shape Australia's landscapes and its inhabitants for generations to come.'
