Kloe+&+Alice

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- Forests in Australia still cover around about 30% of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and every year. Panama’s size is 75,517 km². Australia’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years with the current rate of deforestation. Many of Australia’s rain forests are cut down for lots of reasons, but most of them are related to money or the need for people to provide for their families or communities. - The biggest impact on deforestation is agriculture. Many farmers cut forests to make room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Often many farmers will clear a few acres to feed their families and communities by cutting down trees and burning them in a process known by “slash and burn” agriculture. Some loggers act illegally and they also build roads to access and demolish more and more remote forests, which leads to further deforestation. - Deforestation is normally caused by a combination of natural and human factors like wildfires and overgrazing, which prevents the growth of young trees for the future rain forests in Australia.
 * DEFORESTATION IN AUSTRALIA : **

- The most devastating impact of deforestation is the loss of habitat’s for millions of animal species. 70% of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes. - Deforestation also contributes to climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree’s that are being chopped down, they dry out and stop growing. Removing trees Australia’s forests, deprives them of portions of its canopy, which blocks the sun’s rays during the day and holds in heat at night
 * CONSEQUENCES DEFORESTATION IN AUSTRALIA : **



Australia has the sixth largest area of forest of any country in the world.
 * FORESTS NOW : **

In 2008 (the last time it was measured) there was 149 million hectares of forests in Australia. This is 19% of the land area. From 1996 to 2006 350,000 hectares of forest were cleared every year. In the early 1990s, 430,000 hectares each year were cleared.

This is a table that shows how forests are spread out amongst the Australian states, as of 2007.
 * State || Area of Native Forest (ha) || Amount of Australia’s forest (%) ||
 * Australian Capital Territory || 123 || Less than 1 ||
 * New South Wales || 26,208 || 18 ||
 * Northern Territory || 31,010 || 21 ||
 * Queensland || 52,582 || 35 ||
 * South Australia || 8,855 || 6 ||
 * Tasmania || 3,116 || 2 ||
 * Victoria || 7,838 || 5 ||
 * Western Australia || 17,664 || 12 ||

It was estimated that in 1788, 30% of the country was covered in forests. This means since white man settlement we have lost over one third of our forests around 84 million hectares.
 * FORESTS THEN : **



Location: New South Wales Size: 6km ² Activities Allowed: There are many activities that take place, In the winter, Skiing, Snowboarding and in summer you can climb the Mountain, go boating, fishing, rock climbing, caving, mountain bike riding and go on tours. Location: Gippsland, Victoria. Size: 90km ² Activities Allowed: There are many things to do such as, bushwalk, camp, caravan, beaches and many sights to see Mornington Peninsula and West Port national park is located in the outskirts of Melbourne city. The size of the national park is 25,000 hectares. The activities that Mornington Peninsula and West Port national park have to offer are things such as the Bandicoot habitat planning and the Koo Wee Rup rail trail walk. Ulura- Kata Titua national park in the Northern Territory is located around Alice Springs. The size of the national park is 9.4 kilometers in circumference. The activities that Uluru- Kata Titua national park have to offer are things such as the Uluru hike, Kata Tjuta hike and the Talinguru Nyakunytjaku trail hike.
 * NATURE RESERVES : **
 * KOSCIUSZKO NATIONAL PARK **
 * WILSONS PROMONTORY NATIONAL PARK **
 * MORNINGTON PENINSULA AND WEST PORT, VICTORIA : **
 * ULURU- KATA TIUTA NATIONAL PARK, NORTHERN TERRITORY : **

Websites: [] [] [] http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/wilsons-promontory-national-park/accessibility