Author: Robert Macfarlane. Review by Anthony, NPA Environmental Book Club
I think most of us have a river (or creek) that lies deep within us, in our memories, with sounds, sights and smells to connect us to that past. For me, it is of the creek on the family property, a walk down from the homestead, across paddocks with very large bulls, or skittish sheep, pitted by the billabongs of water courses past, and through barbed wire fences to a creek that had cut its way deep into the soil.
Conservationists, scientists, politicians, Indigenous representatives and other ocean advocates are gathering today in Sydney for the 3rd NSW Marine Parks Forum to chart a pathway toward delivering 30 per cent marine protection across NSW’s state marine environments.
Australia has committed to protecting at least 30 per cent of its land and oceans by 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework, a commitment recently reaffirmed by Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt through support for expanding highly protected areas in Australian waters. The NSW Marine Parks Forum comes at a critical moment for the future protection of NSW’s marine environments.
Read More “NSW Marine Parks Forum pushes for 30% highly protected waters “
Danielle Ryan, NPA Conservation Campaigner
Environmental issues have certainly lost their shine of late as a national or global topic, replaced by stories of war and destruction. Yes, we may be living in a poignant moment in time where a Trump America aims to undermine the international system, which includes the system that develops and defines environmental international standards. For example, Trump’s America recently pulled out of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN sets the standards for protected area planning, and assessment of species extinction risks, which informs international and domestic policymaking.[1] And, yes, national and state nature law reforms will likely fall short of what is required for Australia to meet its global commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity. However, I believe there is hope. It’s about remembering the golden age of Australia’s environmental law and being persistent with our activism and, most importantly, being patient — waiting for another golden moment to seize the opportunity for progressive reform.
Warwick Pearse, Convenor NPA Landscape Conservation Forum
In August 2025 the New South Wales Government announced the purchase of three large pastoral properties in north-west NSW. Bellenbar, Iona and Innisfail Stations will be added to the national parks estate. In December 2025 the government announced the purchase of two more properties in the same region, Tasman and Corinya, with the support of The Nature Conservancy and their partnership with the Wyss Foundation.
Ella Magee-Carr and Andrew Wong, Wilderness Australia
Proposed native forest logging could devastate Glenbog State Forest, one of the last true strongholds of the endangered Southern Greater Glider on the NSW South Coast.
Read More “Protecting Glenbog State Forest Against Logging Threats”
Dr Jonathon Howard, Executive Member NPANSW
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a unique, semi-aquatic Australian mammal and one of only five living monotreme species on earth. We have constructed dams in over 40% of the sub-catchments in which platypus are present.
Read More “Dams Impact Platypus Populations and River Ecosystems in Australia”
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