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Tree Clearing, Endangered Species Legislation & Critical Habitat: Conflict Ignition or Conflict Avoidance & Agricultural Systems?

Key Words: Tree clearing; legislation; living area; threatened species; critical habitat; economics; LULUCF; conservation; biodiversity; protected areas; scientific uncertainty; conflict.
1.   Tree clearing in Queensland has been an ongoing source of conflict for Government, especially within the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (“LULUCF”) categories of “cropland management” and “grazing land management”
2.       Strict regulatory controls on the broad scale clearing of intact woodlands and forests should not be in dispute.
3.     On the other hand, control of regrowth on previously cleared land for agriculture and grazing, arising as a lease condition to achieve a “Living Area” - as prescribed under Queensland’s Land Act - requires careful consideration to avoid conflict.
4.     One source of conflict for the sustainable land use of cropland and grazing lands relates to actions taken for biodiversity conservation.
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