Nature Conservation Council of NSW
We have so much to lose
Climate change will have profoundly
negative impacts on nature in NSW if we do not urgently reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. NSW has a stunning variety of species and
ecosystems, with outstanding rainforests, eucalypt forests and
woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, coastal heaths, alpine habitats and
arid shrub lands. These ecosystems are home to more than 900 animal
species, almost 4,700 plants species, and countless insect and fungi
species. Since European settlement, native ecosystems and species in NSW
have declined significantly. Almost 40% of native vegetation has been
cleared, and what's left is highly degraded. Only 9% is in good
condition.
More than 100 species have become extinct
since 1788, and over 1000, including 60% of all mammal species, are now
threatened with extinction. Key threats are land clearing, habitat
fragmentation, invasive species, and changed fire regimes. Human-induced
climate change has now been added as a potent part of the mix.
Introduction |
Forests |
Eucalypt Woodlands |
Grasslands |
Alpine |
Rivers & Wetlands |
Coastal Regions |
Marine |
Sydney Bushland |
Agricultural Lands |
What's Driving Climate Change |
Conclusions |
Full Report
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Forests
Most of the forests in NSW occur in the wetter, more fertile regions
between the coast and the western slopes of the Great Dividing
Range. Trees are the dominant feature of both forests and woodlands, but
in forests they generally grow taller and closer together, providing
canopy cover from 30% in open forests to 100% in rainforests. These
ecosystems are home to an extraordinary array of birds and animals,
including iconic species like the koala, powerful owl, greater glider,
and spotted quoll.
Species spotlight
Koalas were so abundant last
century they were the basis of a vigorous fur trade that in 1924 saw two
million pelts exported from the eastern states of Australia to Europe.
Today there are fewer than 36,000 koalas left in NSW, and all but a few
populations are declining. Between 1990 and 2010, their numbers in NSW
plunged 33%.
Regions affected
Coastal regions, Tablelands, Blue Mountains, Snowy Mountains, Western Slopes
Download Forests
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Eucalypt woodlands
Eucalypt woodlands are iconic Australian ecosystems found in an arc
from subtropical Queensland to Tasmania, and west to southeast South
Australia. While they are found in many areas of eastern NSW, including
the coastal and alpine zones, they mostly occur in the wheat-and-sheep
belt west of the Great Dividing Range. Trees are the dominant feature of
both woodlands and forests, but in woodlands the trees are generally
shorter and stand further apart, providing canopy cover ranging from 10%
to 30%.
Species spotlight
The regent honeyeater is a small,
spectacularly coloured bird with mottled black-and-yellow feathers and a
short, curved beak. It lives in temperate woodlands and open
forests. Regent honeyeaters can travel large distances on complex
migratory courses governed by the flowering of the eucalypt species that
they depend on for nectar. The birds were common in woodlands across
eastern Australia but there are now only three breeding regions left,
including Capertee Valley in the Central West and the Bundarra-Barraba
region on the Northern Tablelands.
Regions affected
Northwest, Northern Tablelands, Central Tablelands, Central West, Orana Region, Riverina, South Coast
Download Woodlands
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Grasslands
Grasslands are found in many regions, from the moist coastal and
alpine areas to the hot, semiarid interior of western NSW. These
ecosystems are dominated by large perennial tussock grasses, with
broad-leaved herbs growing between the tussocks. Many animals forage in
grasslands, then shelter in nearby woodlands or shrublands.
Species spotlight
The plains-wanderer is a small,
quail-like bird that lives in sparse grasslands in the southwest of
NSW. The bird stands 12-15cm tall and weighs up to 95g. Both sexes have
yellow legs and bills, and fawncoloured feathers with fine black
rosettes. It was once common in semi-arid grasslands on hard red-brown
soils in the southwest of the state, but since the 1920s its numbers
have crashed and it is now considered extinct in much of its former
range.
Regions Affected
Northwest, Southwest, Monaro And Snowy Mountains
Download Grasslands
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Alpine Regions
The NSW alpine region includes Australia's highest peak, Mount
Kosciuszko, and is characterised by snow-capped mountain ranges,
windswept snowgum forests, heathlands, and chilly mountain streams. The
region spans 428,832 hectares of the Snowy Mountains in the southeast of
the state and is a major tourist destination, attracting more than 1.3
million domestic and international tourists each year for snow sports,
hiking, mountain bike riding, and camping in the warmer months. It is
also the last refuge for a range of alpine plant and animal communities
at altitudes above 1100m, including snow-patch and groundwater
commun-ities such as the short alpine herbfields, bogs, and fens.
Species spotlight
The mountain pygmy-possum is a
small marsupial that occurs only in the Australian alps. It is listed as
endangered, with fewer than 2,600 individuals left in an area of about
10sq/km in Kosciuszko National Park. As moth populations decline in
autumn, it supplements its diet with fruits and seeds before hibernating
for up to seven months until the moths return.
Regions affected
Snowy Mountains, Mid-North Coast, Ulladulla, South Coast, Central West
Download Alpine Regions
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Rivers & Wetlands
Only a small fraction of aquatic ecosystems in inland areas is within
the banks of the main channel of the river. More than 90% occurs across
floodplains that in the flat western districts may stretch for
kilometres after heavy rains, once every 10 years or so. The irregular
pulse of flood and drought in inland NSW drives the ecology of the
almost 8000km of river and 4.5 million hectares of lakes, billabongs,
lagoons, swamps and waterholes. Climate change will further affect
wetlands and the rivers that supply water to them through changes to
rainfall and increased temperature and evaporation.
Species spotlight
The iconic river red gum is the
most widely distributed tree in Australia. In NSW it is most common
along rivers and wetlands where it has formed large forests. These
ecosystems provide habitat for yellowbellied gliders, squirrel gliders,
magpie geese, glossy-black cockatoos and a host of other threatened
species. Many of these forests have declined significantly over the past
50 years because of land clearing, logging, increased salinity, and
less frequent flooding as many large dams now capture and store peak
flows that would have watered these forests.
Regions affected
Northwest, Southwest, Central West, Murray Basin
Download Rivers & Wetlands
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Coastal Regions
The 1900km coastline of NSW contains some of Australia's most
stunning scenery and diverse ecosystems, from tall eucalypt forests,
dunes, swamps, and saltmarshes, to tidal lakes, estuaries, beaches, and
rocky reefs. With more than 80% of the state's population living on the
strip between the Great Dividing Range and the Tasman Sea, more people
will experience the environmental effects of climate change in these
regions than elsewhere. Air temperatures are forecast to rise by more
than 3°C by 2090 under a high-emissions scenario. This will result in
more frequent and longer heat waves and more extreme bushfires that will
change the distribution and abundance of species and coastal
ecosystems.
Species spotlight
Saltmarshes are found in the
upper coastal intertidal zone where there is no strong wave action. They
are dominated by stands of salttolerant plants that trap and bind
sediments. Crabs, snails, bats, gastropods and even swamp wallabies are
part of this complex ecosystem. Saltmarshes play a critical role as
nurseries for fish and other marine animals. More than 70% of all fish
in Australia's southeast, as well as many other marine species, depend
on salt marshes at some stage in their lifecycle.
Regions affected
North Coast, Mid-North Coast, Central Coast, Sydney, Illawarra, South Coast
Download Coastal Regions
***
Marine
NSW coastal waters support an extraordinary array of species, from
whales and seahorses to kelp forests and seagrass meadows. In the Sydney
region where the warm northern and cooler southern waters mix, there
occurs almost 580 fish species, more than in the whole of the British
Isles. Marine ecosystems are under threat from coastal development,
nutrient run-off, plastics, overfishing, and invasive species. Now they
face severe impacts from climate change.
Species spotlight
Seagrass meadows are among the
most productive ecosystems on earth, storing more carbon per hectare
than even the Amazon rainforests. Commonly mistaken for algae,
seagrasses evolved from land plants to live entirely in seawater,
anchoring their roots in the sandy or muddy bottoms of bays that provide
shelter from strong waves that damage the plants. Seagrass meadows are a
critical part of the marine ecosystem, providing food for turtles and
fish, habitat for crabs, molluscs, and sponges, and acting as nurseries
for many marine species.
Regions affected
Northwest, Mid-North Coast, Central Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra, South Coast
Download Marine
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Sydney bushland
Sydney is a region of exceptional natural beauty and home to a wide
array of ecosystems, from coastal wetlands and open woodlands, to tall
forests, upland swamps, and Banksia heathlands. In the estuaries and
coastal sandplains, there are fresh and saltwater wetlands. On the
sandstone plateaus, habitats range from dry sclerophyll forest to
heath. After more than 200 years of agricultural and urban development,
most of Sydney's bushland and its native animals have been lost,
although much remains, especially on the city's fringes.
Species spotlight
Cumberland Plain Woodland existed
across 125,000 hectares of clay soils of Western Sydney from Kurrajong
to Picton and was home to more than 450 species of plants and 60 native
mammal species, including gliders, brown antechinus, and the New Holland
mouse. The woodland canopy is dominated by grey box, narrow-leafed
ironbark, thin-leaved stringybark, and spotted gum, while the
understorey is generally grassy with herbs and patches of shrubs. Over
the past 200 years, these woodlands have been reduced to a few
fragmented stands by farming, industry, and housing.
Download Sydney Bushland
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Agricultural lands
Agricultural production is included here because threats to farm
viability undermine the ability of landholders to be good environmental
stewards. The NSW farm sector not only provides food and fibre for
millions of people, it manages about 80% of the state, including much
wildlife habitat. NSW Department of Primary Industries warns there is a
"high" risk that industries, infrastructure, and regional economies will
be disrupted by climate change as many crops currently grown cease to
be viable in the same location.
Species spotlight
Wheat is the main crop grown in
NSW, with the 2013-14 annual harvest more than double the combined
volume of barley and sugar cane, the two next biggest. The 6.6 million
tonnes harvested in NSW that year made up about a quarter of the
national crop, and was worth almost $2 billion. Australia's wheat
farmers are possibly the most efficient in the world, with yields
trebling last century until the 1990s, when they leveled out.
Regions affected
All regions
Download Agricultural Lands
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What's driving climate change?
Burning fossil fuels, land clearing, agriculture, and waste all
contribute to climate pollution warming the planet, driving extreme
weather, and pushing species over the edge to extinction.
NSW releases about four times more greenhouse pollution per person
than the global average, and three times the European average. This
pollution is accelerating climate change, but there is a lot a lot we
can do to reduce it. Our pollution is a direct result of our heavy
reliance on coal for electricity generation.
More than 80% of the state's greenhouse pollution comes from burning
coal, oil, and gas, while agriculture, industrial processes, and waste
make up smaller portions. In addition to our domestic emissions, our
coal exports make a huge contribution to global warming. This makes NSW
one of the strongest drivers of climate change in the world.
What will it take?
Globally, more than 190 countries have agreed to reduce greenhouse
pollution restrict warming below 2°C, and ideally below 1.5°C. To do our
fair share in meeting this goal, NSW needs to reduce emissions to zero
by 2040 at the latest, and retire our coal-fired power stations by 2030.
Download What's driving climate change
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Conclusions and Actions
New South Wales is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate
change. Our forests, wetlands and coastline are fragile. They are places
of natural beauty, of refuge for wildlife, and our life support system.
Despite its fragility, nature is resilient and given a chance, will
still have time to secure a bright future. But we must act now.
We have the technology and abundant wind and sun to transform our
energy system. In just six hours, the sun gives our deserts more energy
than the entire world uses in a year. Harvesting a small portion of that
energy just makes sense.
Our farmers and land managers are already feeling the impacts of more
extreme weather and changed rainfall. We know how to manage our land to
store carbon and boost the resilience of ecosystems in the face of
climate change, so, let's get on with it!
Acting on climate change will take a whole-of society response lead
by our governments. We are specifically calling on the NSW Government to
reform our energy system and upgrade our land management regimes to
reduce our contribution to climate change.
We call upon the NSW Government to:
Transform our energy system
- Source all our power from sun, wind, and water by 2030.
- Phase out coal and gas-fired power.
- Help affected workers and communities prepare for jobs with a future.
- Make sure the transition is fair so everyone, everywhere has access to clean, renewable energy.
Restore our land
- End native forest logging on public land.
- Protect native forests, woodlands, and grasslands from inappropriate land clearing.
- Rule out new coal mines and gas fields in NSW.
Let's act on climate change now
Sign the Repower petition
