General Information » Environment » Environmental Issues

Residents here are passionate about protecting and conserving their natural surroundings, but Sydney is still one of the world’s worst generators of waste. The latest New South Wales State of the Environment report (2003) notes that urban air and recreational water quality are generally improving, but levels of smog-forming pollutants and vehicle emissions are too high. Some 267 species of plants and animals within the Sydney region are threatened by the clearing of land for urban development. Sydney uses more water than its reservoirs can provide, and recent droughts have exacerbated this.



XXX L 4 XXX Conservation Bodies

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is the state conservation body. It falls under the Department of Environment and Conservation NSW. The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) is an umbrella organisation for over 120 conservation and environment groups. It is a non-government, non-profit organisation. Other environmental organisations in the state include:

• Conservation Volunteers Australia (www.conservationvolunteers.com.au)

• Clean Up Australia (www.cleanup.com.au)

• Australian Conservation Foundation (www.acfonline.org.au)

• Volunteer Green Program (www.volunteergreen.org)

• Total Environment Centre (www.tec.org.au)

• NSW Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (www.wires.org.au)

• Local Community Services Association (Local Community Services Association )

• Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability (www.deus.nsw.gov.au)

• National Heritage Trust (www.nht.gov.au)