We are in the midst of an extinction crisis. Biodiversity is key to our survival and it is rapidly being destroyed through land clearing, irresponsible developments and public native forest logging. With more than 200 native species on the endangered list in New South Wales and more species being added to the list every month, we need urgent, strong protections for our ecosystems.
Right now, only 9.6% of NSW is protected, but The Greens have a plan to expand our protected area to cover 30% of our land and waterways by 2030 and connect our protected areas to create a thriving network. Much of this growth can be achieved by ending the unprofitable destruction of our public native forests from logging and transitioning to 100% sustainable plantation forestry.
Urgent reform is also needed to slow the rampant land clearing of private property and to fix the broken offset system that allows precious biodiversity to be destroyed by developers for a nominal fee. Effective and humane management of invasive species should be led by science and should be consistently applied across the public and private land estate.
The Greens will develop joint management plans in collaboration with First Nations communities to ensure that the protected area network aligns with principles of self-determination to the benefit of Country and Community.
GROWING THE PROTECTED AREA NETWORK
Only 9.6% of NSW is part of the protected area network. The Greens will expand our protected area network to cover 30% of our land and waterways by 2030 and connect our protected areas to create a thriving network. This is essential to arrest the extinction crisis.
This 30% needs to include all public native forests and ecologically significant areas in all bioregions in NSW to ensure that biodiversity is maintained and increased across the state. The protected area network will be actively and sustainably managed.
The Greens will make sure that the protected area network is revitalised and expanded to 30% of the state by the year 2030.
END NATIVE FOREST LOGGING
Native forests are a vital component of the Earth’s life support system that we all depend on for survival. These places recycle air and water, provide habitat to native animals, and capture and store carbon dioxide that reduces the impacts of climate change.
Workers and communities that rely on the timber industry need a transition plan to end the unprofitable destruction of native forests and a transition to 100% sustainable plantations. This transition could be achieved for just $30 million per year for the next 10 years and the time is right now to fund this plan with the subsidies going to the native forestry industry.
The Greens will
- end logging our public native forests immediately
- protect this vital habitat for threatened wildlife
- maintain native forests so that the carbon they store protects us from climate change.
Read more about our plan to End Native Forest Logging
BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is a vital component of a healthy and functioning environment but in NSW it is declining at unprecedented and catastrophic rates. Nationwide, the population of Australia's animals and plant groups has declined on average 50-70 per cent since 1985 and NSW has contributed significantly to this decline through major infrastructure, native forest logging and land clearing.
The NSW Biodiversity Offsets Scheme was supposed to guarantee that plant and animals lost to development would be offset through new and dedicated protected areas but this scheme has fundamentally failed to achieve this goal. A report by the Auditor General and a parliamentary inquiry found that the offsets scheme was not fit for purpose and that the system was failing to achieve net-zero losses or like-for-like offsets.
Unless a proper system to protect biodiversity is implemented, 50% of all threatened species will be extinct in 50 years time. This situation cannot be allowed to go on.
The Greens will ensure that biodiversity is protected by ensuring that no development can occur unless there is a suitable offset that can be guaranteed under a permanent protection plan. It’s time to end the shortsighted destruction of the environment for developer profits.
Healthy Rivers and Wetlands
The vast network of rivers, wetlands and waterways in NSW are the lifeblood of communities and healthy ecosystems. Local communities depend upon them for drinking water, agriculture and recreation, and they have immeasurable cultural value for First Nations peoples.
But a decade of National Party mismanagement has left our rivers and wetlands in a state of extreme stress. The last drought showed the consequences: mass fish kills, dry rivers and wetlands and towns running out of water.
Despite this, the government has pursued ecologically destructive dams at the expense of genuinely sustainable options to ensure water security, and handed out hundreds of gigalitres of water entitlements for free to big corporate irrigators in the northern Murray-Darling Basin. And they’ve stood by while our coastal rivers, wetlands and estuaries continue to be degraded and destroyed by pollution and development.
The Greens will act by ensuring that the management of the Murray Darling River system is based on science, not vested interests and that flows are returned to rivers and wetlands. We will protect and restore rivers and wetlands in all parts of the state. And we will work with First Nations peoples to ensure their inherent rights to protect, manage and own water resources on their traditional Country are restored under law.
Plan to Save Koalas
Koalas are in real trouble in NSW. After the Black Summer fires killed an estimated 8,000 koalas they’re now listed as endangered at the state and federal level. Latest estimates put the number of koalas left in the wild in NSW at possibly less than 20,000.
A parliamentary inquiry into koalas led by the Greens, found that koalas will go extinct in NSW before 2050 if their habitat is not protected and all other threats are addressed. Yet, despite this, the Liberal-National Government has weakened koala protections, allowing thousands of hectares of koala habitat to be logged and cleared for agriculture, mining and urban development.
The Greens are 100% committed to saving koalas. That means protecting their habitat. We have a plan to protect koalas and their habitat across the state, from south-west Sydney to Lismore to the South Coast.
The Greens plan to save koalas will draw a line in the sand when it comes to clearing any more koala habitat. We will:
- Protect Koala habitat on private land
- End native forest logging
- Create a Great Koala National Park
- Protect Sydney's koalas
- Fund wildlife hospitals and rescue organisations
Healthy Oceans
Our oceans and the precious marine life that inhabit them are under serious threat. Decades of overfishing, pollution and mismanagement have taken a toll on our oceans and marine animals and seabirds.
The best way to protect marine life and ensure healthy fish stocks for future generations is by creating protected areas where marine life can feed and breed away from threats like fishing and ocean trawling. Marine scientists are calling for 30% of the worlds’ oceans to be protected in sanctuary zones, yet here in NSW less than 7% of our oceans are. Worse, the Liberal-National government has removed protections in some sanctuary zones to allow fishing!
Shark nets indiscriminately kill turtles, dolphins, rays, threatened and harmless sharks and even baby whales. They have no place in our oceans in 2023. Non-lethal alternatives have been proven to be more effective at reducing shark attacks along with community education.
The Greens have a plan to protect our ocean and marine life. We will:
- Establish a Sydney Marine Park
- Strengthen our network of marine parks and sanctuaries
- Introduce a river-to-sea habitat restoration program
- Recognise cultural fishing rights
- Remove shark nets and invest in a non-lethal shark management program and education
- Support sustainable seafood and fisheries in NSW
- Ban offshore exploration and mining of fossil fuels
- Build the resilience of our oceans and beaches to climate disruption.
LAND CLEARING
Land clearing is one of the primary drivers of the extinction and climate crises. The loss of vegetation and habitat in NSW has reached crisis levels and it is destroying the environment and productivity of the state.
The NSW Government has lost control of land clearing in NSW with the annual clearing rates up 47% since the introduction of new land clearing codes in 2017. More than 500,000 hectares of land clearing was approved by the Liberal National Government between 2017 and 2020 and more than 224,700 hectares of woody vegetation was cleared in the same period.
75% of the vegetation cleared on agricultural lands in 2021/22 was done without permission or explanation and without any consequences for criminals responsible. The reduction in vegetation makes floods and droughts more severe as water is not slowed or captured in areas where it should be.
The Greens are committed to ensuring that NSW is regenerated with native vegetation to protect the land, people and animals from this reckless destruction of the landscape. We will ensure that landowners who illegally clear vegetation are prosecuted and that incentives are in place to repair the damage done by centuries of bad land management.