The hidden costs of the ‘Big Australia’ mass immigration policy have surfaced again, with a new report from RMIT’s Centre for Urban Research showing an alarming loss of greenery across Metropolitan Melbourne caused by encroaching urban development:
Comparison of the 2014 and 2018 combined tree and shrub cover across the study area reveals an overall change of 50,964 ha to 46,393 ha; representing a change from 21.0% to 19.1% cover and a loss of 1.9 percentage points (or 4,571 ha). For tree cover alone the change is from 34,074 ha to 32,333 ha; representing a change from 14.0% to 13.3% cover and a loss of 0.7 percentage points (or 1,742 ha).
The loss of greenery has been most pronounced in the ‘leafy’ Eastern region, Inner South East, and Southern region, caused by the loss of parkland, residential lots and streets trees, as well as on other land classes:
