State of the Environment 2011 Committee. Australia state of the
environment 2011. Independent report to the Australian
Government Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water,
Population and Communities. Canberra: DSEWPaC, 2011. Humans have
both direct and indirect effects on biodiversity. Direct effects
mainly involve taking species (e.g. taking animals and plants as
food, harvesting plants for ornamental purposes, or removing
plants or animals that have become pests). Indirect effects
happen as a result of other activities associated with human
existence, such as growing food, using industrial processes that
either consume natural resources or introduce heat or chemicals
into the environment, and clearing land for urban development,
agriculture, mining or other activities. Since European
settlement, harvesting has had major detrimental effects on many
terrestrial species, including red cedar, koalas, and various
kangaroos and wallabies. Harvesting of fish and other species
are issues in inland water and