Viv Forbes clearly doesn't limit his nonsense to climate change. One of the biggest impacts on biodiversity in Australia is habitat loss and land-clearing is one of the major contributors.

More land can be cleared in Queensland for grazing, however, it is almost certain to lead to greater soil erosion, altered rainfall patterns, weed invasion and biodiversity loss.

There is plenty of nonsense spouted by the Greens in Australia, it would be a pity if Viv Forbes managed to tackle some of that. It would spoil his average of being wrong in everyone of his articles on OLO.

Yes Daffy, and good practise builds the soil and its nutrient load up and includes very short-term intensive cell grazing and dung beetles that help restore fertility . On the other hand, trees can suck it all out and fire can and does send millions of annual tons of scare mineral up into the atmosphere to finally come to rest in our oceans where they stimulate coral choking slime growth and subsequent biology more appropriate in sewerage works. Burning also bakes the soil causing it to become impervious to rainfall and allow flash flooding, erosion and reduced production/ soil fertility. Very short-term grazing reduces fuel load and breaks open the soil allowing maximum penetration by rainfall, also assisted by dung beetles. Alan B.

Speaking of Woody Weeds - and I mean the man not the substance;
Richard Di Natale wants to become the biggest dope dealer in town.
http://abc.net.au/news/2018-04-16/greens-call-for-cannabis-to-be-legalised/9664952?pfmredir=sm
Now that's putting the Green back in Greens...

Live out west do you Alan?

I liked the idea of dung beetles on my light sandy higher paddocks, particularly with horses which make poor use of their feed, & poo a lot. Unfortunately I live near the coast.

With in a week of distributing them, & watching fresh poo disappear in just a couple of days like magic, the damn Ibis had erected a McDonalds or similar sign, inviting all their mates to the feast at my place.

A couple of hundred were patrolling the place daily for a month or so. They disappeared a few days after the dung beetles.

Trying to help nature rejuvenate can be a thankless task. About 23 years ago Paulownia trees were all the go. The leaves were supposed to be good fodder, their deep roots recycled nutrients up to the surface, & their timber was useful.

My ex turf farm was very bare, so I planted a couple of hundred in double rows as windbreaks & shelter. Of course I planted at the start of a 2 year drought, which required much cost & effort to keep them irrigated & alive. When the drought broke, it did so with a very wet year as usual. Paulownia don't like wet feet, so they promptly died of root rot.

The silky oaks that replaced them look nice, but it is lots of legumes combined the couple of thousand bales of Lucerne, passed through horses that has added the needed humus to the soil that has done the trick. It produces great grass, now we don't have any stock to eat it.