NSW govt scores "F" on conservation: group THE NSW government has scored an "F" for national parks and wildlife conservation in a report card by the state's leading environmental groups. The report card draws on an analysis of the state's ecosystem protection efforts over the past two years, led by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC). NSW was marked two out of 10, equivalent to an "F," largely because of controversial decisions by Premier Barry O'Farrell government, including allowing hunting in national parks and funding cuts to nature resource management. The government scored points for "positive" decisions, such as converting the Dharawal Conservation Area and Berowra State Park into national parks. But "negative" decisions far outweighed the "positives," reducing the rating to just 2/10, the report card said. The NCC's Pepe Clarke said the government was performing poorly when it came to protecting national parks and wildlife. "There have been positive changes, but on the balance we are going backwards and the government has been removing important protections that have been hard fought in the state over the last decade," he told AAP on Monday. The full report will be released on March 25 to coincide with the state government's two-year anniversary in office. Mr Clarke denied the report was a "political exercise." "It's about seeking leadership from Barry O'Farrell," he said. This is an opportunity for the premier to demonstrate leadership by articulating a more positive vision for environmental protection and sustainability in NSW. Mr Clarke said the government could improve its performance by providing more budget funding for nature conservation and natural resource management, and removing costly subsidies for environmentally harmful activities like the building of the state-run Cobbora coal mine.