Download biodiversity laws - Nature Conservation Council of NSW

BIODIVERSITY LAWS
FAST FACTS
BIODIVERSITY AND NATIVE VEGATATION
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989 species of plants and animals listed as threatened in NSW (SoE Report)
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59% of mammals (82 out of 138) species (SoE Report)
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Over the last 200 years NSW has experienced a marked decline in biodiversity with over 100
plant and animal species becoming extinct.
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Biggest threat to biodiversity is clearing of native vegetation (SoE Report)
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Native vegetation provides essential habitat for plants and animals but also provides healthy
landscapes by preventing erosion and salinity, which contributes to soil and water health
(SoE Report).
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Clearing of native vegetation displaces plants and animals, and over time leads to
detoriation of the land including extensive erosion, invasion by weeds, and salinity (SoE
Report)
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61% of NSW is covered in native vegetation but only 9% of that is in good condition (SoE
Report)
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Native vegetation has been extensively cleared in NSW for settlement, agriculture and
industry (SoE Report)
NATIVE VEGETATION ACT
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Range of environmental values: biodiversity, soil health, water quality and salinity
WWF report suggests a 20 per cent fall in remnant bushland clearing since Native Vegetation
Act came in in 2005 (Average 19, 681 annually 1998-2005 down to 15,730 annually 20062010)
State of the Environment
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59 per cent of mammals, 34 per cent of amphibians, 30 per cent of birds, 18 per cent of
reptiles and 14 per cent of plants indigenous to NSW are threatened with extinction;
968 individual species of native animals and plants are threatened with extinction, with 72 of
these species presumed extinct;
land clearing and fragmentation are the most severe threatening processes to native
species;
91 per cent of native vegetation in NSW is disturbed by land use and land management
practices;
39 per cent of native vegetation has been cleared (‘replaced or removed’) or significantly
altered;
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agriculture is the dominant driver of native vegetation change;
87 per cent of all ‘classes’ of native vegetation are degraded due to reduced perennial cover,
soil salinisation and acidification; and
104 ‘ecological communities’ are threatened and 86 per cent of these are endangered (at
imminent risk of extinction).
NSW Scientific Committee has listed clearing of Native Vegetation as a key threatening process:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/ClearingNativeVegKTPListing.htm
WWF report:
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After including the much lower reported areas cleared in 2010 – 11 we estimate an average
annual clearing rate prior to the Act of about 17,575 hectares per annum, compared with an
average of 10,540 following the Act.
53,000 fewer native animals have been killed (WWF report 2014) (14% reduction0
Koala populations have declined by 42% over the last 20 years – major cause is land clearing
(WWF report)
Benefits/ecosystem services:
There are many farm productivity benefits to be gained from remnant vegetation, including:
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lower stock mortality rates – vegetation shades and shelters livestock, especially shorn
sheep and young lambs and calves;
prevention of erosion – native trees, shrubs and groundcover help stabilise the soil and
shelter it from wind and rain;
holding water in the landscape as a buffer against extreme weather;
corridors for animals to move within for breeding and to find better habitat and food;
essential wildlife habitat, particularly for threatened species;
termites and ants to decompose plant material, aerate the soil and spread seeds;
shelter for birds of prey, which helps reduce pest animal numbers, including rabbits and
hares;
native fish consume mosquito larvae, reducing mosquito numbers; and
improved property values.
Native plants also deliver important ecosystem services, including:
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filtering out nutrients in the water;
stabilising and adding nutrients to soils;
removing carbon and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere; and
providing food, shelter and breeding habitat for animals. SOURCE: NSW Government Local
Land Services
http://northwest.lls.nsw.gov.au/land-andwater/native-vegetation
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Tree cover is critical for conserving local rainfall – the loss of tree cover has been shown to
lead to longer lasting and more severe drought in NSW, due to the loss of rainfall capture by
mature tree cover.
Deo RC et al 2009, Impact of historical land cover change on daily indices of climate
extremes including droughts in eastern Australia, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L08705,
doi:10.1029/2009GL037666
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Land-use and land cover changes, such as the conversion of native vegetation to crops and
exotic pastures, appear to be amplifying the natural climate variability of Australia and this
could result in more extensive, frequent and severe droughts, particularly in south-east
Australia. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/biodiversity/140864objects.pdf
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WWF report:
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Improving crop and pasture yields
Providing shelter for stock and crops
Harbouring beneficial plants and animals such as pollinators and predators of crop pests
Controlling erosion
Reducing land degradation and salinity
Improving water quality and water retention in catchments
Moderating global and regional climates