Only 50 per cent of listed threatened species are expected to survive in 100 years’ time, down from 52 per cent in 2012. Only 76 per cent of all known species were expected to survive over the next century, down from 79 per cent.

The bright spot is that 11.2 per cent of NSW is now conserved for permanent protection, up from 9.9 per cent in 2017.

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The biggest threat to biodiversity identified by the report is habitat loss from land clearing, followed by climate change and invasive species.

Sharpe said the decline in biodiversity was worrying, but the NSW government was “working hard to turn this around” by adding land to national parks and private conservation agreements, reintroducing native species to areas of local extinction, and boosting environmental protection laws.

Official NSW data shows agriculture, especially pasture for grazing, is the biggest contributor to land clearing, dwarfing logging or housing development. Clearing of woodland for agriculture grew 15 per cent in 2021, the most recent figures show.

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s nature and business campaigner, Nathaniel Pelle, said beef was the biggest driver of deforestation in NSW and nationally, putting Australia at odds with other OECD nations. This assessment was based on satellite imagery of land clearing and on-the-ground checks to classify land use.

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“As a wealthy state with so little of its forest left, the Minns government should get on with it and put a stop to land clearing whether it’s for pasture or timber harvesting,” Pelle said, adding that federal action was also needed.

Meat and Livestock Australia figures show Australian beef exports are growing at 17 per cent a year, and domestic consumption of beef and lamb remains about four times higher per person than the global average.

A NSW Farmers spokesperson said figures on land clearing did not tell the full story and “farmers made significant contributions towards our environment”.

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