The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has released its State of the Environment Report for 2024/25, providing an updated and sobering snapshot of environmental health across the state. Building on the 2021 report, the findings reveal a continued downward trend in key environmental indicators — including land, waterways, atmosphere, biodiversity, and climate. The report signals that without urgent and coordinated action, the degradation of natural systems is likely to accelerate.
Fire Management and Biodiversity: Key Insights
For those involved or interested in fire management and ecological restoration, several key findings stand out.
Climate Change and Future Fire Risk
The increased frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of future weather events induced by global warming and climatic shifts, remains an urgent issue. Insights from the climate change section of the report paint a stark picture of future fire seasons:
- The number of hot days (>35°C) is expected to rise, especially in northern NSW.
- Rising temperatures are linked to an increase in intense rainfall, more frequent severe fire weather days, and longer extended dry periods, particularly in summer.
- The Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) is expected to worsen significantly, with the number of severe fire weather days (FFDI > 50) projected to increase significantly by 2080–2099.
The report confirms that the 2019–2020 megafires accelerated the decline in ecological carrying capacity along the east coast of NSW — a region already under significant environmental pressure. If events of this magnitude continue, the chances of reversing biodiversity loss will diminish further.
Burning for Biodiversity
The report highlights a concerning increase in the number of threatened animal species — with 18 additional listings since 2021. NSW vegetation’s ability to support native species and ecosystems has declined dramatically, with current capacity estimated at just 29% of natural levels prior to industrialisation. The report also identifies that land systems change (the extent of native vegetation) and ecological carrying capacity are two of the five planetary boundaries that have been globally exceeded and are directly linked to the nature depletion rates we are witnessing today.
Positive Signs of Recovery
Amid the warnings, there are some positive highlights. Notably, Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are recolonising areas that were unburnt or partially burnt during the catastrophic 2019–2020 bushfires (p. 289 of the report). In addition, under the Health of Country section of the report, revival and recognition of Cultural Fire practices are gaining momentum. These practices, led by Indigenous communities, are increasingly understood for their value in reducing bushfire risk and enhancing ecosystem health. However, the report acknowledges that significant systemic barriers remain for adopting more use of Cultural Fire across NSW.
Conclusion
One of the report’s most critical takeaways is that protected areas remain under significant pressure, facing threats from climate change, inappropriate fire regimes, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and land clearing. As fire seasons become longer, more intense, and less predictable, the window for safe and effective hazard reduction burns is narrowing.
The State of the Environment 2024/25 report makes it clear: we are approaching a tipping point. Strategic fire management, ecological restoration, and meaningful inclusion of Traditional Knowledge through Cultural Fire must be prioritised if NSW is to preserve its biodiversity and resilience in the face of a changing climate.
To delve deeper the report can be found here: https://www.soe.epa.nsw.gov.au/#
This article was written by Campbell Goff, the Healthy Ecosystems Program Officer with the Nature Conservation Council of NSW’s Bushfire Program.
Image: Cover from the report published by the EPA
