All pathways to net zero will require a massive scale up in carbon removals via environmental restoration; and yet, the land conservation sector is yet to see significant support from the NSW Government to deliver net zero.
To deliver the environmental restoration at scale that is needed to achieve net zero, the conservation sector needs:
~ the NSW Government to adopt a protected areas target - ideally at least 20% by 2035 - and an expansion in protected areas to match that target;
~ an urgent halt to the high rates of land clearance in NSW;
~ dramatically improve the transparency in NSW Government reporting on biodiversity funding, and especially environmental restoration; and
~ investigate and adopt nature-based solutions to climate change.
