Chainsaws in the Corridor: South Burnett’s Quiet Collapse

In 2021–22 — the same year Queensland cleared a record 320,000 hectares of native vegetation — a crucial wildlife corridor in South Nanango was destroyed without effective intervention. Similar losses continue unchecked today. Government figures confirm most clearing is for pasture, with the Brigalow Belt — including our region — remaining one of the hardest‑hit bioregions.

Feature image: Essential Habitat Map overlay presented through Queensland Globe, the Queensland Government’s authoritative geographic information system, highlighting the legally designated critical habitat for vulnerable and endangered species, in South Nanango, that was totally destroyed .

A Sound That Reopens Old Wounds

Driving down a dusty gravel lane in South Nanango the other day, the sound hit me like a punch to the gut. A chainsaw’s low roar was bringing down a massive, ancient Ironbark — long dead, but still a valuable home for wildlife. To the landowner, it was firewood. To me, it was a reminder of the essential habitat bulldozed beside it years ago. That roar reopened an old wound: the memory of a vitally important wildlife corridor turned to bare earth. This is the quiet collapse all around us, one tree and one corridor at a time.

The Corridor That Vanished

In 2021–22, that legally designated corridor in South Nanango vanished without effective intervention. Most clearing, government figures confirm, is for pasture, with the Brigalow Belt — a vast ecological region stretching from central Queensland into northern New South Wales — among the hardest‑hit bioregions. South Burnett lies within the southern section, known as the Brigalow Belt South.

When Complaints Disappear Into Silence

I watched those five acres fall. Once alive with sugar glider calls, it’s now bare earth scarred by tyre marks. A neighbour who lived beside the habitat called the council to report the destruction, giving full details. The response? A casual “We’ll follow up.” No case number. No inspector. No action.

The trees fell anyway. And just like with that single Ironbark last week, our community lost something irreplaceable. This is how small gaps in crucial wildlife corridors become vast canyons: when vegetation clearing concerns vanish into phone receivers instead of being formally logged and investigated.

The Human Cost of Poor Systems

Before I sound like I’m targeting landowners, let’s be clear: most are not environmental villains. The family who cleared that corridor? Decent people who wanted to build a home. They may have genuinely believed their “selective clearing” was OK.

That’s the real tragedy. Our system sets up both wildlife and landowners to lose. Property buyers often get no clear information about essential habitat on their land. Permits use vague language open to multiple interpretations. Different government departments give conflicting advice — sometimes within the same week. And when illegal vegetation clearing occurs, there’s often no one who will actually respond or enforce.

The Selective Clearing Loophole

By all accounts, this property was meant for selective clearing to make way for a small house site. In reality, nearly the entire block was stripped bare, save for a few gums too large for the available machinery. Whether this was done under limited approval or without any approval remains unclear. But “selective” quickly became wholesale.

This isn’t just about large‑scale events. The slow, steady chipping away at ecosystems — like the felling of that old Ironbark, once home to microbats and sugar gliders — is part of the same pattern of ongoing habitat clearing. The Brigalow Belt still accounts for nearly half of Queensland’s woody vegetation loss, with high rates of clearing continuing amid widespread concerns about enforcement and environmental compliance.

Rules Without Teeth

South Burnett’s planning documents mention biodiversity corridors, yet few appear to be clearly mapped or actively protected. Under Queensland’s Vegetation Management Act 1999, councils defer most enforcement to the state — but examples like Noosa show local action is possible.

According to the Statewide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS), vegetation clearing hit record highs in 2021–22. Local compliance, however, is left to under‑resourced staff juggling competing priorities: millions allocated to roadworks while environmental compliance remains underfunded; verbal reports vanish without paper trails or accountability; and ‘selective’ approvals often enable wholesale destruction.

“When councils prioritise paperwork over protection, ecosystems die by a thousand cuts.” — Dr. Jenna Carter, ecologist and author of Queensland’s Brigalow Belt Biodiversity Review.

More Than Trees Lost

The South Nanango corridor linked key habitats for multiple threatened species including the endangered koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), the vulnerable rufous bettong (Aepyprymnus rufescens), and the endangered greater glider (Petauroides volans). The area also supported populations of powerful owls, sugar gliders, and various microbat species that depend on old‑growth eucalypts for roosting.

Removing this corridor has triggered cascading impacts: without tree cover, rain turns bare soil into slurry, silting nearby creeks and eroding banks; wallaby populations become trapped in isolated bush fragments; children inherit shrinking, silent landscapes. That majestic Ironbark was more than dead wood — it was a nursery for microbats and a lookout for owls. Each loss, large or small, weakens the whole system.

Councillors Must Act

Some argue council lacks legal power. Yet other local governments — such as Noosa — work with Traditional Owners and use satellite monitoring for enforcement. South Burnett’s Traditional Landholders offer similar, untapped ecological knowledge.

This is not about capability; it’s about will. Map and publicly disclose all existing wildlife corridors. Require written receipts for all clearing complaints. Publish permits and inspection outcomes online in real time. Restore degraded corridors using native species funded by developer offsets.

No More Excuses

Since 2022, similar habitat losses have unfolded across the region. This pattern will continue unless councillors start prioritising environmental protection over the ease of unchecked development. Land is cleared with impunity — because they know most reports disappear into the system, and no one ever follows up.

Act Now

Email your councillor demanding formal complaint tracking. Submit written complaints only (with receipt requests) to SBRC or DES. Attend council meetings and ask why verbal reports are not logged.

For action, residents can contact:
South Burnett Regional Council (SBRC) — (07) 4189 9100
Department of Environment and Science (DES) — 1300 130 372