Land clearing in Australia: see how cleared areas compare with your home town

This map shows the scale of land clearing in Australia by visualising the extent of clearing in states where data is available

Australia is in the midst of a land clearing crisis. Some estimate that 3m hectares of woodland will be cleared between 2010 and 2030.

This is having a huge impact on the environment. Loss of habitat is one of the main threats to about three-quarters of Australia's 1,640 plants and animals listed by the government as at risk. Land clearing, and land-use changes that follow it, have caused a fivefold increase in the sediment pollution pouring on to the embattled Great Barrier Reef, further diminishing its ability to deal with climate change.