Maintenance of ecosystem health and vitality

This criterion contains two indicators. The first considers the scale and impact of agents and processes affecting forest health and vitality, including pests, diseases, salinisation, soil acidification and climate change. The second assesses the area of forest burnt by planned and unplanned fire.

Key findings for threatening processes

• Drought affected large areas of Australia during the reporting period, with significant impacts on forest health in several regions. Drought contributed to a series of intense wildfires that affected large areas of forest in southeastern Australia. Predicted changes in climate, including increased temperatures and lower moisture availability, could make forests more susceptible to pests, diseases, fire and other pressures.
• Damage to forest ecosystems from most native insect pests and pathogens is usually widespread and of low severity. Occasional outbreaks and epidemics occur and the resultant damage can adversely affect commercial values, particularly in plantations.
• Several exotic organisms that pose a threat to Australian forests have moved closer to Australia's shores, increasing the importance of effective quarantine.

Key findings for fire

• The estimated area of forest burnt in the period from 2001 to 2006 was 24.7 million hectares; an estimated 20.0 million hectares was burnt in unplanned fires and 4.7 million hectares was burnt in planned fires.
• Fire is an important forest management tool in Australia because many forested ecosystems are ecologically adapted to fire and require it for regeneration.
• There is evidence that global climate change may exacerbate the risk of fire and cause the window of opportunity for planned fires to shift and narrow in southeastern Australia.

Full report for Criterion 3 - Maintenance of ecosystem health and vitality PDF [841kb]