Analysis of vegetation clearing in New South Wales 2010 – 2023

In 2024, the NSW Government published a ‘Plan for Nature’ outlining a way forward for realising the ambition to ‘protect, restore and improve biodiversity in NSW’ and ‘leave nature better off than we found it’ (NSW Government, 2024). If these goals are to be realised, understanding the nature and impacts of threats to biodiversity values is paramount. Successive NSW State of the Environment Reports have identified land clearing as a major threat to native vegetation and biodiversity, with serious implications for the health of landscapes and river systems. This report quantifies the extent and impacts of vegetation clearing in NSW on key biodiversity values recognised in legislation, including threatened species and communities, high biodiversity values, and riparian ecosystems. The findings raise serious concerns about the effectiveness of our legal and policy framework in preventing threats to high biodiversity values. We put forward policy recommendations to improve outcomes for landscapes of high biodiversity value in NSW.

 

 

 

Author

Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists