An experimental dataset has revealed that Australia’s ecosystems made their biggest impact in 2020-21 by storing a whopping 34.5 million kilotonnes of carbon. This contribution is valued at around $43.2 billion.
Jonathon Khoo, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), noted that these ecosystems play a crucial role in carbon storage. For instance, mangroves alone covered about 1.1 million hectares of Australia’s coastline. Most of these mangroves, around 97%, are found in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory.
Interestingly, desert ecosystems cover a much larger area, spanning 383.8 million hectares, or about half of Australia’s land. The ABS classified four main types of accounts to estimate the value of these ecosystems, focusing on essential services like climate regulation.
Beyond carbon storage, the dataset also looked at other valuable services. For example, grazed biomass, which refers to the natural feed available for sheep and cattle, is estimated to save farmers about $40.4 billion. Water provisioning, the natural supply of surface water from these ecosystems, is vital for drinking, energy, and irrigation. Wild fish provisioning involves the fish that grow in the wild and are later caught for food.
The protection offered by ecosystems like mangroves against storms and tidal surges was also significant. The ABS estimates that mangroves alone prevented around $57 million in damages. Khoo highlighted that these ecosystems protected over 4,000 homes and nearly 7,700 people living along the coast.
This dataset emerged from a collaboration between the ABS and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, showing the importance of integrating environmental data with economic insights.
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