New South Wales

The Protected areas of New South Wales include both terrestrial and marine protected areas. As of June 2020 there are 225 national parks in New South Wales. A number established since the late 1970s followed campaigns by local residents and environmentalists.

Based on the Collaborative Australian Protected Area Database (CAPAD) 2020 data there are 2136 separate terrestrial protected areas with a total land area of 7,696,641 hectares (19,018,810 acres) (9.61% of the state's area). CAPAD data also shows 18 marine protected areas with a total area of 348,849 hectares (862,020 acres), covering 39.63% of NSW waters.

In June 2020 the Government of New South Wales acquired 153,415 ha (379,100 acres), or 1,534 km² (592 sq mi) of private land for a new national park, when it purchased Narriearra station in the state's far north-west, subsequently named the Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park. It is the largest ever purchase of private land for conservation in the state, and provides 90 percent of the habitat of the endangered grey grasswren. The Dingo Fence on the border with Queensland forms the northern boundary of the property.

The second largest acquisition ever was made in October 2021, Avenel/Mount Westwood station, north of Broken Hill, comprising 121,390 hectares (300,000 acres). A further 60,416 hectares (149,290 acres) of private land, Langidoon and Metford stations, located 65 kilometres east of Broken Hill was also purchased and gazetted in 2021. Koonaburra station, 45,534 hectares (112,520 acres) located between Ivanhoe and Cobar, was also purchased and gazetted in the same year.

In the 2023, 2019 and 2015 New South Wales state elections, the state Labor party proposed the creation of a Great Koala National Park. At the 2019 and 2023 elections, the Labor party proposed the Great Koala National Park again in addition to a Georges River Koala National Park in south west Sydney. In 2023 they were elected to government with leader Chris Minns and environment minister Penny Sharpe so planning for these projects has been taking place.

New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory are enclaves within the state. New South Wales' state capital is Sydney, which is also Australia's most populous city. In December 2024, the population of New South Wales was over 8.5 million, making it Australia's most populous state. Almost two-thirds of the state's population, 5.3 million, live in the Greater Sydney area.