Deforestation in Victoria

The land area of Victoria, Australia is estimated to have had 88% forest coverage totaling 199,830 km² in 1869 during early European colonisation of Victoria. This was at a time between the 1861 and 1871 censuses of the colony of Victoria in which the number of inhabitants of the colony were estimated to number between 540,322 (1861) and 729,654 (1871), and the number of houses were estimated to number between 134,332 (1861) and 160,410 (1871). By 1987, deforestation had led to the forested areas of Victoria declining to 35% (79,656 km²) of the total land area. From the 1980s onwards the logging and clearing of old growth native forests was challenged by environmentalists, including through the use of nonviolent direct action.