The paper, published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice, found that more than 60 percent of native forest in NSW has been destroyed or degraded by logging since European settlement.

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The researchers found the methodology for determining the environmental impact of logging fails to consider vital historical land-use contexts.

As a result, logging operations threaten the habitats of over 150 already vulnerable species.

Dr Tim Cadman of Griffith University is one of the authors of the paper called “Shifting baselines clarify the impact of contemporary logging on forest-dependent threatened species.”

He said all the data used in the study is publicly available.

“We used initial historical clearing data from 1788 then added Forestry Corporation data from 2000 until 2022 and added data about threatened species,” he said.

“Out of that, for the first time, we have been able to determine that the impact on threatened species is more than what is currently accepted.

“In other words, the current impact on threatened species is at least as bad as that of historical deforestation.”

Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said the new science “confirms our worst fears”.

“[It] totally undermines the pretext for the deeply unpopular, unprofitable, and dangerous practice of native forest logging.

“Right now, the government is ready to log another 400,000 hectares of critical habitat for some of our most threatened wildlife including the koala, quoll and cockatoo.

“Victoria stopped logging, New Zealand stopped logging, Western Australia and South Australia have stopped logging. We (NSW) need to get on with the inevitable.”

Ms Higginson has written to the Premier and two ministers but is yet to receive a response.

By Andrew VIVIAN