A NSW Government website
Environment and Heritage
Environment and Heritage

Report a problem or incident

When you report an environmental or heritage issue, please include as much detail as possible so we can quickly locate the incident and take the right action.

 

To report an issue to the appropriate agency, use the contact details provided below.

If you have compliments, complaints or general feedback about the services we provide, please go to Your feedback.

To report an issue with the website or request information, go to Your feedback.

Bushfires

Before reporting a bushfire, see if it has already been reported. The NSW Rural Fire Service has a regularly updated map and information on current fires and incidents reported in New South Wales and current and upcoming hazard reduction burns:

If the bushfire hasn’t been reported, contact the Bush Fire Information Line on 1800 679 737.

Pollution

Report a major pollution incident

If the incident presents an immediate threat to human health or property, such as toxic fumes or a large chemical spill, call 000 to report it immediately to emergency services.

As first responders, Fire and Rescue NSW, the NSW Police and the NSW Ambulance Service are responsible for controlling and containing incidents.

Non-emergency pollution incidents

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) manages environmental issues, responds to pollution incidents and emergencies, and enforces environmental regulations:

Such incidents could be about:

  • air pollution
  • water pollution
  • drinking water quality
  • noise disturbances and complaints
  • illegal dumping of waste
  • littering in public spaces and from vehicles
  • chemical spills and contamination
  • pesticide use and contamination
  • transporting dangerous goods and chemicals
  • radiation contamination
  • mine use, safety conditions, and impacts to the environment and human health
  • motor vehicle pollution
  • marine vessel pollution.

Noise complaints

The Environment Protection Authority handles noise complaints:

Noise can be from:

  • the neighbourhood
  • sporting and entertainment venues
  • transport
  • construction
  • industry.

Littering and illegal dumping

The Environment Protection Authority is responsible for prevention and prosecution of littering and illegal dumping:

Pesticides

The Environment Protection Authority handles incidents involving pesticide pollution:

Pesticides may have known side-effects even when used as directed, but any adverse reactions should be reported. An adverse experience is an unintended or unexpected effect on animals, people or the environment. This includes injury, sensitivity reactions or lack of efficacy associated with the clinical use of agricultural chemical products.

Report all adverse experiences to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority by phone on 1800 700 583.

Threatened or endangered animals and plants

Report an incident

To report a disturbance caused by or to wildlife or bushland, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:

Our website has information on:

Sick or injured native animals

Caution: Never handle snakes, bats or flying foxes.

If you find a sick or injured native animal, contact your nearest vet as soon as possible so the animal receives appropriate treatment. Many zoos also accept sick or injured native wildlife.

Alternatively, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation provider. Make sure to give the operator as much information as possible about the animal’s location and condition. If you have arranged for a wildlife carer organisation to rescue the animal, you should stay, if possible, and observe the animal until the rescuers arrive.

Injured, sick or orphaned native animals require specialised care and treatment to recover and be returned to the wild. Rehabilitating a native animal without a wildlife licence is illegal and can lead to prosecution. You are not allowed to keep rescued native animals as pets.

If the disturbance or incident relates to flying-foxes, please the flying-fox information below.

Dead animals and their live young

Please don't ignore dead marsupials. A dead marsupial may have live young in its pouch, so check females for joeys. Wildlife rescuers often mark dead animals they have already checked with paint. If possible, move dead animals away from roads, as their predators could be in danger of becoming roadkill.

If you find live young, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation provider.

If you find dead animals in a NSW national park or reserve, call the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 1300 072 757.

Dead or dying birds on the beach

Each year, many short-tailed shearwaters (also called ‘muttonbirds’) die at sea during their migration along the NSW coast. This event is an unfortunate, but natural, occurrence. Every few years, the wind and tides cause these birds to wash up on our beaches dead or in advanced stages of decline. Little can be done for these birds, as history has shown attempts at rehabilitation by even the most experienced wildlife carers almost always fail.

If you find a group of shearwaters on the beach, please leave them there. The natural cycle of our beaches ensures the birds will not remain on the beaches for long.

Banded birds and bats

The Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme is run by the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and information collected is valuable in helping us understand and protect bird and bat species.

Find out what to do if you have sighted a living or dead banded bird or bat or found a lost band at How to report a banded bird or bat recovery in Australia.

Illegal native animal trade

Find out about illegal trading in native wildlife from the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water at International wildlife trade.

Report illegal trading to the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:

Flying-foxes

Report a sighting or make a complaint

You can report a sighting to the Environment Line, who will enter the information into the BioNet Wildlife Atlas.

The Environment Line also handles any complaints about a disturbance caused by or to a colony and will refer them to the Environment, Energy and Science Group within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:

See ‘Banded birds and bats’ above for information on the banding scheme and reporting a sighting.

Sick or injured flying-foxes

If you find a flying-fox alone, on the ground or entangled in power lines, it is probably injured. You should report this to:

Caution: Never touch or pick up a bat or flying fox as some carry the bat lyssavirus, a disease related to rabies. Only vaccinated people trained in bat care should handle these animals.

Illegal native vegetation clearing

To report problems or incidents of illegal clearing of native vegetation, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:

Destruction of Aboriginal artefacts or sites

To report the destruction of Aboriginal artefacts or sites, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's Environment Line: