

Regional and landscape-scale pressures affecting the land environment
Regional and landscape-scale pressures affecting the land environment
The incidence of bushfires continues to increase, with more fires and increasing frequency of return. Funding initiatives to support controlled fires earlier in the season, including fires for ecological purposes or Indigenous management practices, may reduce extent and intensity, but may also increase return times in some northern areas. In the south, infrastructure and residential developments continue to complicate fire management opportunities.
Bushfire is an inherent component of many Australian ecosystems. Fire regimes have a pervasive impact on environmental values. The extent, frequency and intensity of bushfires are expected to increase as temperature increases due to climate change
Land clearing, although declining, is still a significant cause of environmental disturbance across Australia, particularly in Queensland
Although land clearing is now balanced by the extent of regrowth, both its immediate and legacy effects continue to threaten environmental values
Although many of the world’s worst diseases have been excluded from Australia to date, several fungal pathogens continue to have very significant impacts on native flora and fauna, with knock-on effects on native vegetation and managed systems
Both long-established and newly introduced plant diseases threaten the composition of Australian vegetation communities and the survival of particular species
The review of the Australian Pest Animal Strategy and other studies suggest that the challenges and impacts created by pest animals are as pertinent today as they were in 2007 when the strategy was released. We are still facing new incursions of invasive animals, and expansion of the range of existing pest animal species
Pest animals are widespread; many are well established and difficult to control. New pest species are becoming established
Expansion of the list of Weeds of National Significance, recognition that some national eradication targets are now unachievable, and an enormous naturalised species pool from which new weeds may emerge as environmental conditions change suggest no diminution of the threat posed to agriculture or the environment
Weeds are ubiquitous across the Australian landscape, and have major impacts on environmental values
Assessment Summary Key
Grades
Very low impact
There are few or negligible impacts on land environmental values
Low impact
Current and expected impacts are not widespread, and may affect only a small number of land environmental values
High impact
Current and expected impacts are widespread, and may irreversibly affect land environmental values
Very high impact
Current and expected impacts are widespread, and will irreversibly affect land environmental values
Recent Trends
-
Improving
-
Stable
-
Deteriorating
-
Unclear
Confidence
-
Adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
-
Somewhat adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence or high level of consensus
-
Limited: Limited evidence or limited consensus
-
Very limited: Limited evidence and limited consensus
-
Low: Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment
Comparability
-
Comparable: Grade and trend are comparable to the previous assessment
-
Somewhat comparable: Grade and trend are somewhat comparable to the previous assessment
-
Not comparable: Grade and trend are not comparable to the previous assessment
-
Not previously assessed
Comments
The impacts of land clearing and its consequences are also discussed in the Biodiversity chapter.
This assessment generated considerable debate among representatives of state agencies, representatives of Australian Government departments and researchers. There is some ongoing contention about definitions of clearing, regrowth and land condition.