Brisbane, Australia: Coral bleaching and the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef have drawn international focus, but another threat has emerged to one of the world's most famous natural wonders - the systematic clearing of native bushland, reports Al Jazeera.
The east coast of Australia is considered a "global front" for deforestation - ranked alongside Brazil and Democratic Republic of Congo - with one of the highest rates of land-clearing in the world.
Predominately utilised for pasture, 1.4 million hectares of remnant vegetation has been cleared since 2010. Last month, a government report revealed 395,000 hectares of land were deforested between 2015-16 alone.
Environmental experts have warned if these numbers continue unabated the natural landscape of the region risks irreversible damage.
Associate Professor Martine Maron, deputy director of the Centre for Biodiversity and conservation science at the University of Queensland, explained to Al Jazeera just how damaging the effects of land-clearing can be to reef systems.
Due to a process known as "gully erosion", sediment from cleared zones is released into catchment areas and flushed into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
Maron highlighted the sedimentation "reduces the health of corals and seagrass" by blocking out sunlight and preventing coral growth. In high volume, such sediment can affect the resilience of the reef and "its ability to recover from bleaching events".
In essence, sedimentation smothers coral by hindering its ability to photosynthesise.
Sharing Maron's concerns is Queensland state's Environment Minister Steven Miles, who described the current rates of deforestation as "nothing short of catastrophic".
Miles underscored the need for legislation to combat rampant land-clearing, adding he favours incentive policies that would encourage landholders to avoid land-clearing and to re-vegetate riparian zones.
"It is very much about reducing our carbon emissions, but also delivering habitat benefits for the Great Barrier Reef," he told Al Jazeera.