Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and the Arts, I present the committee's report entitled Case Studies on Biodiversity Conservation: Volume 1; First interim report of the inquiry into Australia's biodiversity in a changing climate.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

by leave—In June last year, the Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and the Arts commenced an inquiry into Australia's biodiversity in a changing climate. The inquiry's terms of reference are very broad, and they encompass: terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity; the connectivity between ecosystems as a potential measure for biodiversity conservation; how biodiversity loss might affect human communities; enhancing our ability and the capacity of ecosystems to adapt to climate change; the sustainable use of natural resources; the adequacy of governance arrangements; and enhancing the community's engagement with the subject of biodiversity.

With such expansive terms of reference, the committee considered an extensive inquiry process to be most appropriate. The committee also decided that it would be appropriate to present an interim report in order to update the House on the inquiry's progress. Similarly, the committee felt that an interim report would allow those outside the parliament to follow the progress on aspects of the inquiry, particularly those individuals and organisations who have contributed to the inquiry by making submissions, facilitating visits and giving evidence at public hearings.

Before moving on to the content of the report, I should add that the committee chose to present this first interim report during the winter sittings of the House in anticipation of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development being held next month. This so-called 'Rio+20' conference marks 20 years since the world's focus on environmental conservation and sustainable development shifted significantly—the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro. One of the key international agreements on biodiversity conservation came out of that summit, the Convention on Biological Diversity. The presentation of this report is therefore timely. It also highlights the relevance of the committee's inquiry to the broader framework of biodiversity conservation internationally.

In relation to the progress of the inquiry itself, since its commencement in June last year, the inquiry has received 81 submissions, 52 exhibits, and numerous additional documents. To date, evidence has been received from: environmental organisations, state and territory government departments, federal government bodies, natural resource management bodies, academics, natural history museums, and interested individuals. I might add that the committee has been very impressed indeed with the breadth and depth of the evidence it has received to date.

The committee has held seven public hearings in Canberra, Perth, Hobart, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The committee has carried out numerous site inspections around the country, gathering evidence on case studies in biodiversity conservation. This first interim report of the inquiry sets out the committee's site visit activities in: south-west Western Australia; the Tasmanian midlands and central plateau; the New South Wales Snowy Mountains region; and Sydney.

As the committee still has a considerable forward work program planned, it was the wish of the committee to avoid pre-empting future evidence or deliberations. The report therefore takes a narrative approach to detailing the committee's activities, but refrains from detailing broader conclusions or making recommendations at this stage.

The committee's site inspection program has been shaped by several key principles. The committee agreed it was important to carry out activities in each state and territory to look at different types of ecosystems as recommended to the committee in submissions to the inquiry and investigate the different impacts of climate change in different regions with a particular focus on biodiversity and climate change hot spots. While noting the differences across regions and ecosystems, the inspection program has also given the committee the opportunity to see commonalities in the challenges faced in each region—for example, changes in rainfall patterns, changes in fire regimes as a result of land use and climate-driven factors—and the impact of disease and pest were threats to biodiversity observed throughout various site visits. What is clear from the site inspections is that the effects of climate change on Australia's unique biodiversity are not certain and not uniform. This is a challenge the committee will face throughout this inquiry and it is also a challenge to policymakers and land managers on the ground.

Finally, I would like to record my thanks to members of the committee who have worked together in a bipartisan and collegiate way. I also thank the committee secretariat, made up of Julia Morris, Peggy Danaee, James Nelson, Peter Pullen, Julia Searle and newcomer Susan Dinon for their terrific support of the committee's work. I look forward to updating the House again in the future on this inquiry's progress. I commend the report to the House.

Mal Washer (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to follow the Chair of the Standing Committee on Climate Change, Environment and the Arts, the member for Makin, and speak on a few more specific aspects about the report titled Case studies on biodiversity conservation, volume 1. South-west Western Australia is one of Australia's 15 national biodiversity 'hot spots' and the only Australian biodiversity hot spot that is recognised by Conservation International. South-west WA has been identified as one of three areas worldwide containing 'very old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes', known for their highly fragmented ecological communities with large numbers of endemic species. These species are particularly vulnerable to rapid climate change due to their evolution under climatically buffered conditions over the past tens of millions of years.

This area has undergone problems of changed rainfall patterns, tree decline, phytophthora dieback, reduced groundwater and connectivity between ecosystems. There was evidence of a drying trend in rainfall and stream flow patterns across south-west WA. Also, changes in rainfall seasonality and intensity have led to dramatically reduced amounts of run-off. Rainfall has reduced by nine per cent in the past 10 years and this has resulted in a 46 per cent reduction in stream flow compared with in previous decades.

Over the past decade, south-west WA has been experiencing widespread declines in a range of woodland tree species, including tuart, wandoo, WA peppermint, jarrah and marri. Exact mechanisms leading to these declines are uncertain, but they are at least partially due to the hotter and drier conditions attributed to climate change in the area. During the summer of 2010-11, the area experienced a mass collapse of around 18,000 hectares of northern jarrah forest, a key overstorey species, coinciding with a period of high temperatures, the driest year on record and the unprecedented ceasing of flow in both 'permanent' and ephemeral streams.

Marri trees are in decline and are a key species which a number of other threatened species, including the Carnaby's black cockatoo, depend on for food. While the precise causes for marri tree decline are unknown, researchers have suggested that the drying climate has increased the susceptibility of trees to such existing stresses, to the extent that pathogens are now more capable of killing the trees. Many forests have unnaturally high densities of young trees due to past timber harvesting, resulting in high water usage and higher susceptibility to tree decline under drought conditions. To regenerate tuart trees, Western Australian peppermint trees need to be burned to create a suitable ash bed. As peppermint trees provide important habitat for the threatened western ringtail possum, this creates a quandary.

Phytophthora dieback refers to the phytophthora cinnamomi pathogen, a waterborne mould which thrives in moist and warm soil environments within this Mediterranean climate. As many as 2,000 out of the estimated 9,000 plant species in south-west WA are susceptible to phytophthora dieback. Phytophthora dieback was described as a 'biological bulldozer' because of the severity and extent of its effect on native ecosystems. Low-nutrient, fragile soils favoured by phytophthora are also the sites of some of Australia's richest biodiversity, such as the heavily infected Stirling Range National Park. An increase in the proportion of rainfall falling during summer months in south-west WA due to climate change may exacerbate the threat of phytophthora.

There are similar problems emerging in the Tasmanian Midlands. The miena cider gum, endemic to the Central Plateau, is sensitive to the effects of drought, which has led to the death of mature trees in relatively large patches since the mid-1990s. With increased temperatures it is thought that most miena cider gums are now highly stressed by the end of each summer and need substantial rain in autumn in order to recover. These autumn rains are now delayed and diminished. So with urban clearing now exceeding agricultural tree clearing and climate change stressing trees, causing susceptibility to disease, the prognosis for tree species in many parts of Australia is dismal.

Professor Stephen Hopper, Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientist at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, discussed with me on site the serious effects of climate change on biodiversity. Dr Hopper will take up a post at the University of Western Australia later this year as professor of biodiversity and will hopefully encourage better research and improved management of the serious tree decline in south-west Western Australia.

I also wish to thank the chair, the committee and the secretariat for their hard work on this inquiry.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! the time allotted for statements on this report has expired. Does the honourable member for Makin wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House take note of the report.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 39 the debate is adjourned. The resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.