Nature Conservation Council alarmed by latest NSW Environment Report

Nature Conservation Council of NSW, a leading environmental organisation, has responded to the NSW State of the Environment Report released today describing it as painting “a grim picture of the health of NSW ecosystems.”

The State of the Environment report is NSW's premier scientific report card, released every three years. It describes the health of our life support systems - the land, water, air and ecosystems, and it tracks trends over time. This year almost all indicators are "getting worse".

Key Report Findings

• Since the last report, 36 more animal and plant species have been listed as threatened with extinction.

• Since 2021, there have been 190 fish kill events, with tens of millions of fish dying in some events.

• Alarmingly, the fastest growing segment of threatened animals is those which are critically endangered, which grew by 35 species over the same period. This is a stark indicator of the worsening biodiversity crisis and shows current settings to protect endangered species are not working.

• Across the state, distribution of native land mammals continues to shrink, with fewer habitats left to offer safe refuge. The clearing of native vegetation remains significantly higher than before land clearing laws were loosened in 2016, with agriculture the main driver.

• Projections show that only half of all native animal species currently listed are expected to survive the next 100 years.

Recommendations
In response to the State of the Environment report card, NCC is calling on the NSW Government to:

• Rein in land clearing for agriculture by closing legal loopholes.

• End native forest logging, protecting 1 million hectares of our most precious forest for conservation and recreation.

• Reduce water extraction by irrigators, allowing inland rivers to connect and flow.

• Restore coastal estuaries to protect communities from climate impacts.

• Increase funding for environmental programs from 1.6% to at least 2% of state expenditure to resource an effective NSW Nature Strategy.

Jacqui Mumford, Chief Executive Nature Conservation Council NSW notes "Every NSW resident should be outraged that our shared natural heritage is being stolen from under our feet.

"The risk to First Nations cultural heritage is intolerable. Indigenous knowledge must be informing the protection and restoration of Country.

"This report confirms what we already know, and the message couldn't be clearer. Nature in NSW is in deep trouble and those in power are failing to turn this alarming trajectory around.

"Our state's environment is being mismanaged, and until the developers, irrigators, and logging companies are kicked out of government back-rooms, nothing will change.

"The ecological carrying capacity of NSW has been slashed to 29% of its natural level since colonisation.

"Our rivers are being sucked dry, forests are shrinking, and species are vanishing. We need the NSW Government to act with the urgency that the biodiversity crisis demands.

"The NSW Government urgently needs to develop and implement their Nature Strategy, fix the laws that aren't working and truly chart a path out of this crisis.

"This is an opportunity for Premier Minns to secure a legacy as the government that stood up for nature by acting urgently to stop extinction, restore ecosystems, and protect the future for all of us."

Access NSW State of the Environment Report