Land clearing in NSW up 16% in 2024, reaching 81,000 hectares

New South Wales cleared 81,293 hectares of vegetation in 2024 — a 16% increase on the previous year — according to new government data. The rise was driven by a 70% jump in clearing of non-woody vegetation. Conservation groups say the Minns government is failing to curb habitat loss, with almost 90 rugby league fields of woody habitat bulldozed every day last year.