Across NSW koala numbers are dwindling, their disappearance partly blamed on land clearing.

Their survival will be an issue for some NSW voters on Saturday, with land clearing sparking a number of questions from ABC readers.

Key points: The ABC received 85 questions on land clearing as part of the "You Ask, We Answer" campaign

The ABC received 85 questions on land clearing as part of the "You Ask, We Answer" campaign Land clearing laws have been relaxed under NSW's Coalition Government

Land clearing laws have been relaxed under NSW's Coalition Government Labor says it will bring land clearing "under control" while the Liberals have a $45 million blueprint to protect koalas

It is reflected by internal Labor and Coalition polling placing the environment in the top five issues for voters for the first time in a state election.

Of the more than 2,000 questions submitted to the ABC's "You Ask, We Answer" series, almost 300 concerned environmental issues, with 85 specifically focused on land clearing.

It is an issue people are talking about ahead of Saturday's poll.

Laws relaxed, land clearing soars

The rapid clearing has impacts on soil, water and carbon emissions, scientists say. ( Supplied: National Parks Association )

According to the Nature Conservation Council (NCC), the visual impact of land clearing coupled with the threat to koala habitat makes it an emotive issue.

Koalas are on track to be extinct by 2050 according to the NCC and World Wildlife Fund Australia — a claim the Coalition described as "scaremongering".

"Extinction is forever and that's something that really hits home," NCC chief executive Kate Smolski said.

The Berejiklian Government loosened land clearing controls in August 2017 when it scrapped the Native Vegetation Act (NVA).

The Government said its decision took the "shackles off farmers" who needed to clear vegetation on their own land for the sake of agricultural productivity.

The overhaul saw the annual rate of land clearing in the state soar by 800 per cent over three years.

The NCC claims about 3,000 hectares of native koala habitat has been destroyed in the 12 months after the VNA was abolished.

"The NSW Government is responsible for opening the floodgates to the destruction of koala forests and woodlands on a scale we have not seen for more than 20 years," Ms Smolski said.

The state's land-clearing hot spots include parts of the Central West, Hunter and North West — the latter falls in the seat of Barwon, which is held by the Nationals on a 12.9 per cent margin but is considered a chance to change hands on Saturday.

Land clearing questions: Land clearing has been a hot topic for people submitting questions as part of the ABC's "You Ask We Answer" campaign. Here are some examples: Will Labor change the land clearing rules and stop the unneeded cutting down of trees both in Sydney and on the Central Coast?

Will Labor change the land clearing rules and stop the unneeded cutting down of trees both in Sydney and on the Central Coast? Which party will commit to stopping the incredible rate of land clearing?

Which party will commit to stopping the incredible rate of land clearing? With the current rate of threatened species increasing what will you do about land clearing laws so as to protect threatened species in NSW?

Shadow Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said "bulldozers and chainsaws are now operating at full tilt" across NSW.

The Australian Forest Products Association added to the debate this week, commissioning research it claimed showed Labor's plan to build a Great Koala National Park on the mid-north coast could cost up to $1 billion in lost revenue and some 1,870 jobs in the logging industry.

Last year, the Berejiklian Government revamped laws around coastal clearing.

At the time, Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said the new rules provided security to the $2.4 billion wood product industry but struck the right balance with environmental protection.

The NSW Government did not respond to specific questions on this story.

So what's being promised?

The Liberals have put out their $45 million "NSW koala strategy" which they claimed would be the biggest commitment by any state government to secure koalas in the wild.

It promised 20,000 hectares of koala habitat on the Central Coast, Southern Highlands, North Coast, Hawkesbury and Hunter.

Around 4,000 hectares of koala habitat on the mid-North Coast and $20 million worth of private koala habitat would be added to the national park estate under the plan.

Labor said its first order of business was to remake biodiversity laws to bring land clearing under control and create "no-go-zones" to keep forests safe.

Labor would also create a national park for koalas in south-western Sydney and have committed to the Great Koala National Park on the North Coast, if elected.

The Greens have promised an end to logging in public native forests.

The party also want the new laws which make clearing easier for farmers repealed immediately. They would pledge $1 billion to supporting farmers with revegetation and landscape repair.