Australia has pledged to restore nature. But could we ever bring back lost ecosystems?

Australia signed a global pledge in twenty twenty-two to restore thirty percent of degraded ecosystems, but the Conversation reports the nation's commitment remains undefined—no concrete target, no measurement method. Historical records and Aboriginal knowledge systems reveal what's been lost: oyster reefs once so dense they snarled colonial ships, regent honeyeaters in immense flocks, and millions of bandicoots shaping grasslands through relentless burrowing. Fewer than three hundred regent honeyeaters remain today, oyster reefs exist only in fragments, and many species have vanished. Restoration at scale—connecting habitat, reintroducing cultural burning, controlling invasives—would require over seven billion dollars annually for thirty years. That's less than a third of what Australia currently spends subsidizing activities that degrade nature, making restoration both necessary and fiscally defensible.

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