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3.1. Why is the question important?
3.2. What resources are available?
3.2a National assessments
3.2b Vegetation clearance
3.2c Weeds and diseases
3.2d Altered fire and glazing regimes
3.2e Altered hydrology
3.2f Urbanisation
3.2g Climate change
3.2h Social and institutional pressures
3.2i Interacting threats
3.3. Where to from here?
3.3a Vegetation clearance
3.3b Weeds and diseases
3.3c Altered fire and grazing regimes
3.3d Altered hydrology
3.3e Urbanisation
3.3f Climate change
3.3g Social and institutional pressures
3.3h Interacting threats
3.1. Why is the question important?

Native vegetation is affected by many pressures that impact on its long-term survival. The clearance of native vegetation, and associated destruction of habitat, remains the major cause of biodiversity loss in Australia. In turn, broad-scale clearing has accelerated the effects of a number of processes that also threaten the long-term viability of remaining native vegetation. For example, the clearance of native vegetation and its replacement with shallow-rooted crops and pastures has contributed to rising water tables, the mobilisation of salt and other hydrological changes. Consequent increases in the extent of dryland salinity, waterlogging and rates of sedimentation affect both agricultural productivity and the persistence of native vegetation in the landscape. Vegetation clearing also leads to increasing fragmentation of native vegetation, which in itself is a threatening process.

Other significant pressures on native vegetation include pests and weeds, altered fire, flood and grazing regimes, diseases, climate change and the intensification of resource use. These pressures are playing out across Australia, including in the less intensively managed lands of central and northern Australia. No longer can these regions be considered pristine or at lower risk because of relatively low human population numbers. The lack of social and institutional capacity to address natural resource management issues generally, and native vegetation and biodiversity in particular, is also considered a threatening process. Failure to seriously address these pressures in both the intensive and extensive land use zones will not only guarantee further loss of native vegetation and biodiversity, but will also diminish the quality of life enjoyed by Australians and ultimately undermine the Australian economy.

Addressing the cause of the pressures on native vegetation, rather than the symptoms, is a necessary part of regional NRM planning. This requires strategically focusing native vegetation management on threat abatement at a landscape scale.