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NSW Land Clearing Fuels Extinction Crisis
11 Feb
Summary
- High-biodiversity land equal to four Sydney Harbours cleared.
- NSW's current laws are failing to protect native species.
- Government is reviewing laws to address biodiversity loss.
Private land clearing in New South Wales has been identified as a significant driver of the state's extinction crisis. Between 2016 and 2023, an area of high-biodiversity land approximately four times the size of Sydney Harbour was cleared.
Studies by the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, overlaying land cover data with information on threatened species and vital riverbank corridors, highlight the severity of the situation. Conservation biologist Professor Richard Kingsford from UNSW stated that NSW is "on an extinction path."
He further noted that the current legislative framework, encompassing both the Biodiversity Conservation Act and the Local Land Services Act, is inadequate. The government is undertaking a review of these laws, with proposed changes to the Local Land Services Act, which governs much of the day-to-day land management by farmers.
