2021–22 SLATS Report
Statewide overview
Key findings
- At the start of the 2021–22 SLATS monitoring period, Queensland had 95,383,184 hectares (ha) of woody vegetation with greater than 10% crown cover.
- In 2021–22, 323,676ha of woody vegetation was affected by clearing activity. This is a 7% decrease in clearing activity from 2020–21 (349,399ha) and continues a trend of decreasing clearing activity in Queensland in the past few years, albeit the downward trend is slowing.
- Of the total clearing activity, 269,432ha (83% of all clearing activity) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation (i.e. ‘full clearing’). This is a 16% decrease in full clearing from 2020–21. The remaining 54,244ha of clearing activity in 2021–22 was partial clearing.
- In 2021–22, 31,097ha of new regrowth was mapped. It is important to note that most of the state’s existing regrowth is already included in the SLATS woody extent. New regrowth is only mapped if it can be reliably detected using SLATS methods.
- At the end of the 2021–22 SLATS monitoring period, Queensland had 95,144,850ha of woody vegetation: from a starting balance of 95,383,184ha, 269,432ha was subtracted for full clearing and 31,097ha was added for new regrowth. This represents a net reduction of 238,334ha in the extent of the state’s woody vegetation during the 2021–22 SLATS monitoring period.
Clearing activity in Queensland in 2021–22
In 2021–22, a total of 323,676ha of woody vegetation was affected by clearing activity in Queensland. This is a 7% decrease in clearing activity from 2020–21 (349,399ha), which continues a trend of decreasing clearing activity in Queensland in the past few years. Of the total clearing activity 83% (269,432ha) resulted in full removal of the woody vegetation (i.e. full clearing). The remaining 54,244ha of clearing activity was partial clearing.
For more detailed breakdowns of clearing activity in the 2021–22 monitoring period, refer to the Statewide breakdown.
Clearing activity 2018–19 to 2021–22
Area of clearing activity from 2018–19 to 2021–22.
- Full clearing refers to areas which have been converted from woody to non-woody (i.e. less than 10% crown cover remains).
- Partial (major) are clearing areas where the woody vegetation has been significantly modified but remains woody (i.e. greater than 10% crown cover remains but more than 50% of the area has been affected by the clearing).
- Partial (minor) are clearing areas where some modification of the woody vegetation has occurred, remaining woody (i.e. greater than 10% crown cover remains but less than 50% of the area has been affected by the clearing).
Spatial distribution of clearing activity 2021–22
Regrowth in Queensland in 2021–22
In the 2021–22 monitoring period, 31,097ha of new regrowth was mapped. These are areas that were not previously mapped in the 2018 woody vegetation extent baseline or in the last two monitoring periods (2019–20 or 2020–21) and are only now considered to have sufficient woody vegetation cover to be added to the woody extent. Given most of the existing regrowth was captured in the 2018 baseline, high levels of new regrowth would not be expected in the first few years to follow. This is due to the generally longer timeframes it takes for new regrowth to become sufficiently woody to enable reliable detection and mapping.
For more detailed breakdowns of regrowth in the 2021–22 monitoring period, refer to the Statewide breakdown.
Regrowth 2019–20 to 2021–22
Area of new regrowth from 2019–20 to 2021–22.
- Regrowth are new woody vegetation areas which have regrown sufficiently to be added to the SLATS woody extent. Regrowth was not reported in 2018-19.
Spatial distribution of regrowth 2021–22
Woody vegetation extent change in Queensland in 2021–22
From a starting balance of 95,383,184ha, 269,432ha was subtracted for full clearing and 31,097ha was added for new regrowth. At the end of the 2021–22 SLATS monitoring period, Queensland had 95,144,850ha of woody vegetation. This represents a net reduction of 238,334ha in the extent of the state’s woody vegetation from 2020–21.
Transaction summary 2021–22
| Category | Gain (ha) | Loss (ha) | Balance (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening balance August 2021 | - | - | 95,412,788 |
| Adjustment | 5,530 | -35,134 | 95,383,184 |
| Crop | 1,484 | -1,680 | 95,382,988 |
| Forestry | 7,747 | -6,300 | 95,384,436 |
| Infrastructure | 0 | -2,207 | 95,382,229 |
| Mine | 489 | -5,885 | 95,376,833 |
| Pasture | 21,369 | -252,019 | 95,146,183 |
| Settlement | 8 | -1,341 | 95,144,850 |
| Closing balance August 2022 | - | - | 95,144,850 |
This transaction summary shows the opening balance of woody vegetation at the start of the 2021–22 monitoring period, the losses due to clearing activity that resulted in the full removal of the woody vegetation, and the gains due to new regrowth, for each landcover replacement class. Loss and gain adjustments were made to correct for areas in the woody extent that were identified as previous errors during the SLATS mapping processes. A closing balance at the end of the 2021–22 monitoring period is provided.
While these figures represent a net reduction in woody vegetation extent, it is important to acknowledge that not all vegetation change is equal. For example, clearing in remnant areas cannot be directly compared with clearing in non-remnant areas in terms of the impacts on biodiversity, carbon or landscape function. Similarly, new regrowth does not offset remnant loss for the same reasons.
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