Population Growth Blamed for Biodiversity Decline in New South WalesPopulation Growth Blamed for Biodiversity Decline in New South Wales According to Sustainable Population Australia (SPA), population size and growth are the primary drivers of biodiversity decline in New South Wales. SPA Chairman Peter Strachan emphasizes that this factor has been overlooked by environmental authorities. The State of the Environment in NSW report (SoE) acknowledges the impact of population growth on the environment. It states that “population growth can be an important factor in environmental impacts.” Recent data shows that NSW’s population grew by 2.2% in one year, reaching 8.4 million. This growth has led to increased demand for housing, land, and resources, which has a direct impact on the environment. Strachan notes that habitat loss due to land clearing for agriculture and other activities is a major consequence of population growth. He cites a report that NSW forests have experienced significant conversion to farms, with 15,800 hectares cleared in 2021. SPA urges Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe to address the role of population growth in biodiversity decline. The organization recommends that the state government call on federal authorities to reduce net migration levels. Strachan concludes, “We need to stabilize population numbers if we want to preserve nature. This can be done in NSW if we reduce the levels of overseas migration.” About Sustainable Population Australia (SPA): SPA is a non-profit organization that advocates for sustainable population policies to protect the environment and enhance well-being. Contact Information: * Peter Strachan, National Chair – Sustainable Population Australia * Email: [email protected] * Phone: 0412 400952
Sustainable Population Australia
According to Sustainable Population Australia (SPA), population size and growth are the main drivers of biodiversity decline in New South Wales. These factors continue to be ignored by those responsible for protecting our environment.
SPA National Chairman Peter Strachan says NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe should pay attention to the 2022-23 State of the Environment in NSW report (SoE) which states that ‘population growth can be an important factor in environmental impacts’.
Yesterday, Minister Sharpe published the government’s first response to a major inquiry into the state’s wildlife laws by former Finance Minister Ken Henry. The Henry 2023 inquiry had warned that half of NSW’s threatened species were on course to become extinct within the next 100 years.
“The SoE notes that a growing population, coupled with increasing urbanisation, has led to increased demand for housing, land, energy, water, consumer products and transport services,” Mr Strachan said, and that this has had an immediate, direct and significant impact on the environment.
“The population of NSW grew by approximately 110,000 (1.4%) per year in the five years to 2020. This growth is now much greater with the abdominal muscles reports that the population of NSW stood at 8,434,800 at the end of last year, having grown by 185,500, or 2.2%, in one year.
“The primary cause of biodiversity loss is habitat loss. Land clearing for various human endeavors, not least agriculture, is a major consequence of this growth.
SPA National Chairman Peter Strachan
“Today The age reported that forests in NSW have been converted to farms reached its peak in 2018 (29,400 hectares) after land clearing rules were relaxed in 2016. However, in 2021, 15,800 hectares were still cleared. NSW remains ambiguous on logging in native forests.
“We note that the New South Wales Government plans to develop a new nature strategy that includes landscape restoration, species recovery and addressing threats to nature.
“It means little when the Minister of the Environment refuses to acknowledge that the greatest threat to nature is population growth. We need to stabilise population numbers if we want to preserve nature.
“This can be done in NSW if we reduce the levels of overseas migration. The states do not determine immigration figures, the federal government does.
“Therefore, SPA recommends that, in addition to reforming the state’s conservation laws, Minister Sharpe also calls on her federal colleagues to curb net outbound migration, otherwise she will merely be managing the state’s environmental degradation.”
Contact details:
Peter Strachan
National Chair – Sustainable Population Australia
[email protected]
0412 400952
