Around 85% of the approximately 900 threatened species in New South Wales (excluding marine mammals, invertebrates and fungi) are found on the national park estate. This highlights the critical role of national parks in the effective conservation of threatened species.

However, there’s evidence that the overall decline in biodiversity in NSW is occurring even in the national park estate. Key threats include feral animals, invasive weeds, changed fire regimes and climate change.

The good news is that we have a plan in place to ensure NSW national parks are a stronghold for threatened species conservation, and the centrepiece of efforts to protect and restore populations.

Our targets

We’re the first national park agency in Australia to set a zero extinctions target, and one of the first in the world. Our 2030 target is to improve or stabilise the on-park trajectory of all threatened species.

Measures being implemented to protect threatened species on national parks include:

• declaration of important threatened species habitat as Assets of Intergenerational Significance.
• acquisition of key threatened species habitat for addition to the national park estate.
• establishment of a network of feral predator-free areas to support the return of more than 25 locally extinct species.
• delivery of the largest feral animal control program in national park history.
• establishment of a dedicated ecological risk unit to ensure threatened species are considered in new fire plans.
• rolling out a world class ecological health framework across national parks.

Read the NPWS Threatened Species (Zero Extinctions) Framework to find out more. NPWS will publish an annual report to report against the objectives outlined under the framework.