When you report an environmental or heritage issue, please include as much detail as possible so we can correctly locate the incident and take the right action.
To report an issue to the appropriate agency, go to the the relevant topic heading below and use the contact details provided.
Do not use the contact details on this page to report an issue with the website or request information. Please use the 'Online feedback form' on the:
If you have compliments, complaints or general feedback about the services we provide, use the red and blue 'Your Feedback' widget on the lower right side of the screen on the Your feedback page linked above.
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: 1800 679 737.
When you report an environmental problem or incident, please include as much detail as possible so we can correctly locate the incident and take the right action.
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.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) manages environmental issues, responds to pollution incidents and emergencies, and enforces environmental regulations.
Such incidents could be:
Environment Protection Authority handles noise complaints.
Noise can be from:
The Environment Protection Authority is responsible for prevention and prosecution of littering and illegal dumping.
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:
To report a disturbance caused by or to wildlife or bushland, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water at:
Our website has information on:
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 licenced 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 foxes section below.
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 a live young, contact a licenced wildlife rehabilitation provider.
If you find dead animals in a NSW national park or reserve, call the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) on 1300 072 757.
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, wind and tides cause these birds to wash up on our beaches dead or in advanced stages of decline. Very 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 ensure the birds will not remain on the beaches for long.
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.
Injured or sick marine animals
If you see a stranded or distressed marine mammal, sea turtle, sea snake or seabird, please report it as soon as possible to a licenced wildlife rehabilitation provider or the National Parks and Wildlife Service:
Make sure you give the operator as much information about the situation as possible, including a description of the animal, its condition, the specific location and best way to access the animal.
A fish kill is a sudden and unexpected mass mortality of wild or cultured fish. If you see one, notify:
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) by–
Provide as much detail as possible on the number of fish involved and the exact location, and describe any visible evidence of water contamination.
For sick or injured animals that are a non-native species:
Find out about illegal trading in native wildlife at the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:
Report illegal trading to the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water at:
You can report a sighting to the Environment Line who will enter the information into the:
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 Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The Environment Line can be contacted via:
See Threatened or endangered animals and plants ‘Banded birds and bats’ for information on the banding scheme and reporting a sighting.
If you find a flying fox alone, on the ground or entangled in power lines, it is probably injured. You should report this to the:
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. You should not approach or handle a flying fox.
Catching a disease from a flying fox is extremely unlikely; however, you should exercise caution. If you are bitten or scratched by a flying fox, thoroughly wash the wound, apply an antiseptic solution and see your doctor immediately. Dogs and cats should be kept away from flying fox roost sites where possible.
To report problems or incidents of illegal clearing of native vegetation, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water:
To report the destruction of Aboriginal artefacts or sites, contact the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's Environment Line on: