The Human Industrial Footprint (HIF) map showing the varying levels of ecosystem disturbance.
(Photo credit: University of Queensland )
Key points
- Two new national datasets showing the level of human impact on the Australian continent have been published.
- While about 30 per cent of Australia is still free or almost free of human pressures, many landscapes are becoming increasingly fragmented.
- Researchers say targeting these last remaining intact landscapes is critical for safeguarding species.
University of Queensland researchers are urging governments to use newly created national data to protect the country's last remaining ecosystems free of human pressures.
The 2 new datasets map the extent of ecosystem disturbance across the country and show while about 30 per cent of Australia is still free or almost free of human pressures, many landscapes are becoming increasingly fragmented.
Lead author Dr Ruben Venegas-Li from UQ's School of the Environment said the publicly available datasets could be instrumental in guiding conservation planning and keeping the landscape intact.
"Australia is facing an extinction crisis with more than 2,100 species and 100 ecological communities federally listed as threatened and at least 103 species became extinct in the past 250 years," Dr Venegas-Li said.
"We need to be making informed decisions about conservation and development to proactively protect Australia's flora and fauna, and datasets like this are part of the solution.
"Previous national pressure maps were created more than 30 years ago, and existing global maps omit pressures relevant to the Australian context, such as mining and agricultural operations.
"These new datasets give us a consistent, national way of estimating where human pressures are occurring, how intense they are, and how they overlap."
The Human Industrial Footprint (HIF) map consolidated 16 environmental pressures into a single, high-resolution picture of ecosystem disruption across the continent.
The 16 human pressures include: buildings, mining, farming, public infrastructure, the size of human population, forestry plantations, railways, hiking trails, roads and energy infrastructure [MB1] [RVL2] .
The researchers also created a complementary Ecological Intactness Index map, quantifying the degree of habitat loss, quality and fragmentation across the continent.
Senior author Professor James Watson said the detailed resolution in the datasets of 100 metres helped identify multiple pressures within the same area.
"Two areas might both be used for grazing, but one could also have roads, dams, nearby settlements and other infrastructure," Professor Watson said.
"By acknowledging all these pressures on the same map, we can better understand where ecosystems are likely to be under the greatest strain and also where places are still relatively free from these pressures.
"For example, the map identifies significant parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania that are relatively free of industrial influence.
"It is increasingly important to target these last remaining intact landscapes as they are critical for safeguarding species in a time of climate change."
Dr Venegas-Li said the datasets pinpointed where efforts were more needed and could support reporting and monitoring towards national and international conservation targets.
"Meeting targets like protecting 30 per cent of land by 2030 need to consider these types of maps, as they help identify critical habitat areas to conserve" Dr Venegas-Li said.
"Both datasets should be of interest to those involved in biodiversity management when considering Australia's Strategy for Nature 2024-2030 Nature Positive Plan, as well as its global commitments to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
"Beyond conservation policy, the HIF and EII have applications in environmental impact assessments, regional land-use planning, and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies.
"Integration into all levels of decision-making can help halt further biodiversity loss, improve connectivity between protected areas, and support sustainable development objectives."
The research report was published in Earth System Science Data.
