A new report confirms beef is driving deforestation in Queensland.
Read the full report, or scroll on to uncover the key findings, impacts and solutions—backed by satellite data, government sources and independent analysis.
Across Queensland, forests and bushlands are being bulldozed at an alarming rate—and making way for beef pastures is the number one reason why. Since 2018, beef production has accounted for 64% of the deforestation and land clearing in Queensland.² It risks devastating wildlife, fuelling climate change and polluting the Great Barrier Reef.
Queensland’s deforestation crisis is widespread and overwhelmingly impacting wildlife habitat. The latest Wilderness Society report uncovered the following:
Between 2018–22, 1,089,480 hectares of forests and bushland in Queensland were bulldozed for beef production—64% of all clearing during that time.⁴
93% of vegetation cleared for beef between 2021–22 met the ‘forest’ definition used by Australia and the European Union. This forest and bushland destruction qualifies as ‘deforestation’ under both national and international standards.⁴
Including potential homes for red goshawks, koalas, ghost bats, greater gliders, Fitzroy River turtles and the critically endangered regent honeyeater.⁴ (Image: Paleokastritsa).
Just 142 land parcels were responsible for nearly 99,000 hectares of forest and bushland destruction in 2021–22 (more than half of the deforestation in Queensland!).
Deforestation in Reef catchments is causing erosion and sediment runoff—threatening the World Heritage–listed Great Barrier Reef.⁴ ⁵ (Image: Geoff Spanner).
Queensland is home to more native species than any other Australian state—but it also has the highest rates of deforestation in the country. That destruction is pushing some of our most iconic wildlife toward extinction.
Since colonisation, Australia has lost half of its forests. In parts of Queensland, more than 80% of original forest and bushland has been cleared⁸—particularly in biodiversity-rich areas like the Brigalow Belt.⁶ ⁷
Today, most of the deforestation that continues is driven by beef production, leaving native animals without the forests and bushland that they need to survive.
Between 2018 and 2022:
- 99% of beef-linked destruction occurred in mapped threatened species habitat.
- This is the potential habitat for at least 270 threatened species
- Koalas lost more than 571,000 hectares of potential habitat to beef pastures
- Potential homes for the northern quoll, regent honeyeater, and greater glider were on the chopping block
From December 2025, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will block imports linked to deforestation after 2020.⁹ While beef retailers like Woolworths, ALDI, and McDonald’s have pledged to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains.¹⁰ ¹¹ ¹²
But deforestation continues in Queensland for beef production. As Australia’s biggest beef buyers, Coles and Woolworths have significant deforestation risk in their supply chains. Right now, it seems the major supermarkets can’t prove if they’re not sourcing beef from forest and bushland destruction.
The good news? Just 0.3% of beef land parcels accounted for half the forest loss in 2021–22³—while most beef land is already deforestation-free. That means Coles and Woolworths could clean up their supply chains if they choose to act.
Thousands of Wilderness Society supporters have been pressuring Woolworths and Coles to demand they fix their deforestation problem—and we’ll keep going until they do.
The report outlines a pathway to a deforestation-free future for beef production in Queensland—but it will take urgent action from both companies throughout the beef supply chain and government.
Businesses in the beef value chain–from supermarkets to producers–must:
Governments must:
You have the power to help stop deforestation in Queensland. Forests and wildlife in Queensland are being destroyed for beef production. Together, we can stop the destruction.
Choose how you want to make an impact by clicking one of the tiles below:
(1) Queensland Department of Environment and Science (2019–2023) Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS) Reports: 2018–19 (2019); 2019–20 (2020); 2020–21 (2022); 2021–22 (2023). Available at: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/mapping/statewide-monitoring/slats/slats-reports
(2) Wilderness Society (2019) Drivers of Deforestation and Land Clearing in Queensland 2019. Wilderness Society, p. 21. Available at: https://wilderness.org.au/images/resources/The_Drivers_of_Deforestation_Land-clearing_Qld_Report.pdf
(3) Wilderness Society (2019) The Drivers of Deforestation and Land Clearing in Queensland, p. 24, Table 9. Available at: https://wilderness.org.au/images/resources/The_Drivers_of_Deforestation_Land-clearing_Qld_Report.pdf (Accessed: 9 May 2025).
(4) Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) (n.d.) Pollution & Water Quality in the Great Barrier Reef. Available at: https://www.marineconservation.org.au/pollution-great-barrier-reef/ (Accessed: 9 May 2025).
(5) UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2024) State of conservation of properties WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add. 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, New Delhi, India, 21–31 July 2024. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2024/whc24-46com-7B.Add-en.pdf (Accessed: 9 May 2025)
(6) Queensland Government (2023) 2021–22 SLATS Report: Bioregion breakdown. Available at: https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/land/management/mapping/statewide-monitoring/slats/slats-reports/2021-22-slats-report/bioregion-breakdown (Accessed: 5 May 2025)
(7) Thornton, C. M., & Elledge, A. E. (2022). Leichhardt, land clearing and livestock: the legacy of European agriculture in the Brigalow Belt bioregion of central Queensland, Australia. Animal Production Science, 62(11), 913–925. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1071/an21468 (Accessed: 9 May 2025)
(8) Wilson, B.A., Neldner, V.J. and Accad, A. (2002) ‘The extent and status of remnant vegetation in Queensland and its implications for statewide vegetation management and legislation’, The Rangeland Journal, 24(1), pp. 6–35.
(9) Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (2025) European Union Deforestation Regulation. Available at: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/export/from-australia/european-union-deforestation-regulation (Accessed: 9 May 2025).
(10)Woolworths Group (2024) 2024 Sustainability Report. Available at: https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/content/dam/wwg/investors/reports/f24/f24/Woolworths%20Group%202024%20Sustainability%20Report.pdf (Accessed: 9 May 2025).
(11) McDonald's Corporation (2024) McDonald's Commitment on Forests and Natural Ecosystems. Available at: https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/content/dam/sites/corp/nfl/pdf/McDonaldsCommitmentOnForestsAndNaturalEcosystems.pdf (Accessed: 9 May 2025).
(12) ALDI Australia (2025) Tackling Deforestation. Available at: https://www.aldi.com.au/sustainability/good-planet/tackling-deforestation (Accessed: 9 May 2025).
Note: For full context and source details, please refer to the complete report, which includes the full list of references and methodology.