New South Wales State of the Environment 2015 Environment Protection Authority
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New South Wales State of the Environment 2015 Environment Protection Authority www.epa.nsw.gov.au New South Wales State of the Environment 2015 Environment Protection Authority © State of New South Wales, Environment Protection Authority 2015. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the State of NSW are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced, for educational or non-commercial use, in whole or in part, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. Specific permission is required for the reproduction of images. Disclaimer: The EPA has compiled this document in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. The EPA does not accept responsibility for any inaccurate or incomplete information supplied by third parties. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. The EPA shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. Readers should seek appropriate advice about the suitability of the information to their needs. All content in this publication is owned by the EPA and is protected by Crown Copyright. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), subject to the exemptions contained in the licence. The legal code for the licence is available at Creative Commons. The EPA asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: © State of New South Wales and NSW Environment Protection Authority 2015. Published by: NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) 59–61 Goulburn Street, Sydney PO Box A290 Sydney South NSW 1232 Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or [email protected] See also www.epa.nsw.gov.au/pollution Phone: +61 2 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (NSW only – environment information and publication requests) Fax: +61 2 9995 5999 TTY users: phone 133 677, then ask for 131 555 Speak and listen users: phone 1300 555 727, then ask for 131 555 Email: [email protected] Website: www.epa.nsw.gov.au ISSN 1320-6311 EPA 2015/0817 December 2015 Printed on environmentally sustainable paper FOREWORD Nature has both an intrinsic value in and of itself There are several challenges that we are and an instrumental value as the environmental working to address, such as the decline of NSW infrastructure that underpins our economy and threatened species and our greenhouse gas sustains our community. That is why the state emissions. of the environment has a profound effect on our The government’s Saving our Species program quality of life and the health of our economy. was established to protect all threatened species Reporting on the state of the environment helps over the next century and has been bolstered us to take stock of environmental conditions with $100 million over the next 5 years, and the in our state, to identify emerging issues and to legislative reform we are undertaking will help take effective action for ourselves, for future safeguard biodiversity at a bioregional scale. generations and for the environment. The government is also implementing its I am pleased to present the Environment Renewable Energy Action Plan and the Energy Protection Authority’s ninth NSW State of the Efficiency Action Plan in order to increase the Environment. This report supports the work use of sustainable energy sources and improve the EPA already undertakes by outlining the energy efficiency, to continue the downward status and condition of major environmental trajectory of NSW emissions. resources and the associated environmental trends and implications for the environment and NSW State of the Environment 2015 reminds human health. The report uses the most up-to- us that challenges also present opportunities. date information from a range of government They present the opportunities to improve our agencies and authorities. economy, our environment, and our health and amenity at the same time, through ecologically This latest report explains the challenges we sustainable development. The government is have overcome, notes the issues we are still committed to working with communities, industry working on, and explores emerging challenges. and other stakeholders to better protect and Air quality continues to be generally good conserve the environment, to enhance our overall, with low concentrations of lead, carbon wellbeing, and to meet the challenges ahead. monoxide and sulphur dioxide. Ozone and particle pollution levels require ongoing attention. Industry and household waste disposed of in landfill is decreasing and garden and food waste recycling is increasing. The NSW Government is combating illegal dumping and funding emergency pollution clean-ups, such as Mark Speakman those for illegally dumped asbestos. Minister for the Environment Since 2012, the area of public land reserved under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 has increased by about 26,600 hectares. This includes significant reservations in the South Coast (Dharawal National Park), Sydney (Berowra Valley), Darling Riverine Plains (Warrambool) and near Moree (the Gwydir wetland). The Conservation Partners Program has helped encourage and support conservation on private land, which is of growing importance to restore connected, resilient landscapes. iii CONTENTS Foreword iii Environmental resources Preface vi Acknowledgements vii Air quality 65 About State of the Environment 2015 viii 8 Summary xi Contaminated 79 9 sites Environmental drivers 10 Soil condition 85 1 Sustainable land Population 95 1 11 management Economics and 9 2 the environment 12 Threatened species 103 Energy consumption 17 3 13 Native vegetation 111 29 Protected areas Transport 121 4 14 and conservation Greenhouse 35 5 gas emissions 15 Invasive species 133 Urban water 45 6 16 Water resources 143 Waste and recycling 57 7 17 River health 153 18 Wetlands 163 19 Ground water 171 Coastal, estuarine 179 20 and marine cosystems Abbreviations and acronyms 194 Units 198 Glossary 199 Index 205 v PREFACE In November 2011, the NSW Government For SoE 2015 20 themes are presented in two passed legislation to strengthen and reinvigorate parts: Environmental Drivers and Environmental the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). Resources. The report provides ratings of the One of the principal requirements of the reforms status and trend for 65 indicators across the to the EPA was to increase its transparency 20 themes. through clear reporting and thus improve the Preparation of SoE 2015 has relied on extensive community’s access to information. contributions from many other NSW Government The New South Wales State of the Environment departments and agencies and within the (SoE) Report is prepared every three years by EPA. The data and information provided was the EPA in accordance with the requirements of appraised and validated by the contributing the Protection of the Environment Administration organisations through an extensive process Act 1991. This is the ninth SoE report in NSW of review. My sincere thanks to all of those and continues to build on the valuable time- concerned in providing information and advice series data of previous reports. during its compilation. I would especially like The NSW State of the Environment 2015 to express my appreciation to the independent (SoE 2015) provides an overview of the NSW experts listed in the Acknowledgements who environment using the best information available. provided a range of perspectives, additions and As required under section 10 of the Act, the helpful advice. report assesses the status and condition of I trust that this report will be a valuable resource major environmental resources and examines for the general community as well as guiding environmental trends. The report also describes policymakers in determining future priorities the pressures that affect the environment and and objectives that will lead to the best possible the responses to those pressures. outcomes for the environment. SoE 2015 reflects the continuing trend of improvement and refinement of reporting shown over the previous eight iterations of the report. It assembles a wide range of information from a large array of sources into a format that is accessible to the wider community, yet still provides scientific rigour. Barry Buffier AM Chair and Chief Executive Officer Environment Protection Authority vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS State of the Environment Reporting Independent expert reviewers Steering Committee Associate Professor Paul Adam, University of NSW Environment Protection Authority New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment Dr Michael Battaglia, CSIRO Department of Primary Industries Dr Martin Cope, CSIRO Office of Environment and Heritage Dr Mathew Crowther, University of Sydney Transport for NSW Dr Mark Diesendorf, University of New South Wales Contributors Professor Kristine French, University of Wollongong Australian Bureau of Statistics (NSW office) Dr Richard Greene, Australian National Balmoral Group Australia (Economics and the University Environment) Dr Mike McLaughlin, Adelaide University Department of Industry, Skills and Regional Development Dr Louise Morin, CSIRO Department of Planning and Environment Dr Brian Murphy, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University Department of Premier and Cabinet Tony Roper (Ex. Office of Environment and Department of Primary Industries Heritage)