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Bulldozed tracks and informal byways in tropical forests and palm-oil plantations ‘almost always’ an indicator of future deforestation, say researchersA vast network of undocumented “ghost roads” is pushing into the world’s untouched rainforests and driving their destruction in the Asia-Pacific region, a new study has found.By using Google Earth to map tropical forests on Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea islands, researchers from James Cook...

Liberal leader’s plan criticised by political opponents, environmentalists and industry representativesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe Tasmanian Liberal party has promised to open 40,000 hectares of protected native forests to logging if re-elected next month, prompting accusations it is playing politics with forestry workers’ jobs and planning to accelerate...

New plan bans selling of native timbers and includes transition payouts to sawmills and towns to diversify industryThe end of unsustainable commercial logging in Western Australia could save almost 20,000 square kilometres of forest, the state government says.Chopping down native karri, jarrah and wandoo hardwood in the state’s south-west and selling it is banned from Monday. The state’s environment minister, Reece Whitby, said it...