A new report released today has revealed that declining biodiversity and increasing extinctions has continued despite pre-election commitments by the Minns government to take action on environmental protection.
Biodiversity Indicator Program data shows that half of all threatened species in NSW will be extinct in 100 years, an increase of 2 per cent in 4 years, and that 24 per cent of all species are expected to be extinct by 2124.
‘The latest figures on biodiversity loss in NSW are extreme and bleak, and if they don’t mobilise this government into real action I just don’t know what will,’ said Greens MLC Sue Higginson.
Intolerable outcome
‘Half of all threatened species becoming extinct is an intolerable outcome. This severe biodiversity loss is being driven by habitat destruction in native forests and land clearing across all ecosystems. The Minns-Labor government was elected on a promise to stop both of these trends, but has acted on neither,’ she said.
‘Report after report have shown the terrible decline of biodiversity in NSW, and the Ken Henry review of biodiversity laws gave the government very clear recommendations on how to slow and reverse this trend, but the government still hasn’t responded after seven months.
‘The recommendations from the Henry review were urgent last August when they were delivered, with no action taken by the government since.
‘It’s looking a lot like political failure,’ said Ms Higginson.
The NSW biodiversity outlook report can be viewed here.
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