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Julia Geoghan
Mr. Chappell
6 October 2014
Gover. and Econ.
Block 4
Issue #1: Environmental Issues
Australia is a huge continent and country that needs their environment to help sustain
their wildlife. Some environmental issues that are happening in Australia include deforestation,
agriculture clearing and overgrazing, overfishing and illegal fishing, introduction of exotic
species, and pollution. Deforestation is when forests are cut down and the salinity of the soil
increases. According to the article, Environmental problems in Australia, it states, As a result,
saline water draining from such areas can affect downstream or downslope water quality. It is
estimated that around 7% of the agricultural area of Western Australia is suffering from this
problem following deforestation.(1) An organization out of Australia called Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization believes that Australia spends about $1 billion on
deforestation. Another issue is agriculture clearing and overgrazing. Also stated in the same
article, it says, Because of clearing activities for agricultural land, around 13% of Australia's
original vegetation has been removed since European settlement.(1) Since Australia has first
been settled, 13% of the vegetation has been removed and no longer exists. Overfishing and
illegal fishing are another issue. According to the same article, it states, In 2005, 17 of 82
species that were assessed in Australian waters were classified as overfished.(1) Since you have
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commercial and recreational fishing in Australia, you have to watch how much you fish so you
dont overfish the fish population. Introduction to exotic species is another environmental issue
in Australia. Also stated in the article, It is estimated that Australia gains around 20 new pests
or diseases each year.(1) Since Australia trades, they bring in different diseases that affect the
country. The last issue is pollution. Stated in the article, it says, Modelling predictions estimate
that each year almost 19,000 tons of phosphorus and 141,000 tons of nitrogen are discharged to
rivers flowing to the coast.(1) Pollution is a huge thing in Australia due to the pollution running
into the water stream. Different ways we could approach the issue of the environment is to stop
deforestation. We could protect land that people want to use with overgrazing and clearing. We
could also protect land that has good vegetation to preserve the plants. These are only a couple
solutions, but the more we come up with the better.









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Works Cited
"Environmental Problems in Australia." WWF -. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.
<http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/australia/environmental_problems_in_a
ustralia/>.