EU’s potential ‘no-risk’ deforestation category a recipe for Australian species extinction

The EU Parliament has today voted to weaken its flagship law, adopted in 2023, which would ban the import of products linked to deforestation, including from Australia.

The European Parliament has voted to create a ‘no-risk’ deforestation category for countries seeking to import goods into the EU. The category applies to countries with stable or increasing forest cover, and would attract limited due diligence or compliance checks from the EU. This category could include Australia—despite its status as a global deforestation hotspot—along with 135 other countries.

The legislative process continues and the changes aren’t yet adopted.

The potential creation of a ‘no-risk’ country rating is deeply flawed and is an attempt by vested interests to undermine the whole EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and its aim to help end deforestation globally.

The Australian Government has been trying to reopen and weaken this law for months, attempting to water down global forest action and get around the rules using loopholes, definitional spin and technicalities.

The Wilderness Society says Australia’s deforestation crisis is rampant, and the plain fact is that forest cover is no indicator of deforestation risk. During 2021-22, 323,676 hectares of land was impacted by land clearing activity in Queensland alone—10 times more than in Indonesia for palm oil.

Despite what the European Parliament is now saying, forests are not interchangeable. The destruction of ancient forests in Tasmania, or threatened species habitat in Queensland, can never be replaced by regrowing two year old vegetation on the other side of the country. Forests take decades to regrow and only a day to be destroyed.

Adele Chasson, Manager of Corporate Advocacy and Engagement for the Wilderness Society, says, “No matter how anyone categorises it, the reality is that Australia’s current deforestation practices expose native species like koalas and swift parrots to further habitat destruction. Definitional games and spin from the Australian government and industry will not change this fact. It is clear this approach—masking the problem instead of actually fixing it—is why Australia is a global deforestation hotspot.

“Australians have a right to know about the greenwashing the Australian government appears to be presenting to the rest of the world. These all-too-convenient but fundamentally incorrect measures of deforestation perpetuate the status quo and are a recipe for extinctions. The Government is telling the world Australia is a leader in forest protection, while at the same time, trying to get around the rules and erode global anti-deforestation action

“One thing doesn’t change: people want action for climate and nature, including deforestation-free products.

“Companies in high risk supply chains–from producers to retailers–must see beyond the spin and take action. Consumers don’t want products that come from forest destruction and push native species closer to extinction. The writing is on the wall.”

For interviews with Adele Chasson, Manager of Corporate Advocacy and Engagement for the Wilderness Society, please contact Rhiannon Cunningham, media adviser for the Wilderness Society on [email protected] or 0419 992 760