Hop2it Deforestation Avoidance
One-third of the Earth’s landmass is swathed in green forests that provide a range of social, economic and environmental benefits. They harbour more than half of all known terrestrial animal and plant species, sustain fresh water supplies, regulate our climate and help to reduce soil erosion. Forests also deliver food, clothing, traditional medicine, shelter and subsistence agriculture to about 1.6 billion people. Yet we destroy them at an alarming rate!
Learn More About Hop2it’s Deforestation Avoidance Programs….
Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land, a practice that has occurred throughout human history. Traditionally, forests have been cleared to create space for agriculture, livestock grazing, and to harvest wood for fuel, manufacturing, and construction. While often driven by economic necessity, deforestation has dramatically altered landscapes around the world—reducing biodiversity, accelerating climate change, and disrupting ecological balance.
Hop2it is actively working with local landowners across Australasia to create sustainable alternatives to mass land clearing. Through the development of carbon farming initiatives and the issuance of Carbon Credit Units, Hop2it helps implement “avoidance schemes” that reduce the incentive to fell trees. These projects provide landowners with a new income stream, turning environmental protection into a viable and profitable land use option. By aligning environmental sustainability with economic opportunity, Hop2it contributes directly to efforts that slow the rate of deforestation in vulnerable regions.
Although deforestation is most commonly associated with lower-income countries, where regulatory oversight is often limited, Australia is an unfortunate exception. While many wealthy nations have seen forest cover increase through reforestation and better land management, parts of Australia continue to experience rampant deforestation. Along the eastern coast in particular, land clearance is accelerating, as agricultural industries exploit legal loopholes to expand pastureland for cattle exports to Asia.
According to WWF, Australia now ranks alongside Borneo and the Congo Basin as one of the world’s top 11 deforestation fronts. This ranking highlights the urgency of implementing stronger environmental protections and more sustainable land-use practices. The most severe impacts of deforestation are being felt in Queensland, a state with extensive remaining forests and relatively undeveloped land. Since the 1970s, Queensland has been responsible for more than half of Australia’s land clearance. In just one year, between 2015 and 2016, nearly 395,000 hectares of forest were destroyed—equivalent to 1,000 rugby fields per day. Much of this destruction targeted ancient and ecologically significant vegetation.
As a percentage of total forested land, Queensland’s current rate of deforestation is twice as fast as Brazil’s—an alarming statistic that underscores the critical need for change. Hop2it’s commitment to forest protection, reforestation, and carbon offset programs offers a hopeful path forward. Through innovative partnerships and landowner engagement, Hop2it is helping transform destructive land practices into regenerative, climate-positive solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
