Understanding: The general nature and pattern of climate-induced pressures are becoming clearer, although many uncertainties remain at finer scales

Planning: Most planning remains at an early stage, in part reflecting the rapidly evolving understanding of how climate-induced pressures are likely to impact on the land environment

Inputs: There have been substantial initial investments in national and state-scale research on likely impacts and possible management responses

Processes: National and state-level bodies and industry sectors are now engaging with the issues of climate change. However, there is not yet consensus at the highest political levels about strategies to address and mitigate climate change

Understanding: There is a generally high level of understanding of the impacts of bushfires on environmental values, strategies for mitigating adverse impacts, and the responsibilities of land managers

Planning: There is generally a high level of planning for bushfire risk mitigation

Inputs: The overall level of inputs for bushfire risk mitigation and management has increased, particularly for public land in southern Australia. In general, there are insufficient inputs to minimise the impacts of bushfire on environmental values of the extensively managed rangelands and tropical savannas of all tenures

Processes: There are well-developed processes for evaluating the impacts of bushfire management strategies on environmental values, and for adaptive management

Understanding: The impacts of land clearing on environmental values are well understood

Planning: All states and territories, other than the Northern Territory, where legislation is now being enacted, have legislation to control land clearing

Inputs: Timely monitoring and reporting systems and tools are key inputs; the availability and quality of these have improved nationally and within jurisdictions

Processes: Processes vary between jurisdictions, but all are more effective than they have been in the past

Understanding: There are well-established, coordinated national arrangements for identification of, minimisation of and response to biosecurity risks, and national and state strategies for managing priority pest animal and invasive plant species

Planning: There are high levels of national, state and regional-level planning for priority invasive species

Inputs: Australian Government inputs are focused on national priority species or on listed threatening processes. In addition, state and territory governments and regional natural resource management organisations commit resources to local priorities; these are complemented by considerable voluntary community and landowner commitments of time and resources. However, in general, financial resources available to manage established invasive species are less than those that would be necessary to substantially impact on pest populations. In some cases, this is because control measures that are effective and feasible have not been identified

Processes: Management processes vary widely, depending on the nature of the invasive species or threat. There is generally an emphasis on integrated management responses, drawing on a range of control measures. Processes are public, and stakeholders are appropriately engaged

Understanding: The objectives of the national reserve system, and for management of conservation reserves, are explicitly specified in national and state-level policy statements and in management plans for reserves

Planning: Management plans are the basis of planning for individual reserves. Planning to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and to improve the resilience and effectiveness of the national reserve system, is under way

Inputs: Resource inputs across the conservation system as a whole are insufficient for the realisation of management objectives

Processes: Processes governing management of conservation reserves are generally clear and transparent, draw on stakeholder input, and report to stakeholders

Understanding: Indigenous Australians have formal management rights to increasing areas of their country under a number of tenure regimes

Planning: Planning processes are best developed for Indigenous Protected Areas, and for areas for which Indigenous ranger groups are active

Inputs: Financial inputs derive predominantly from government programs, and are threatened by planned changes to workforce programs. Significant resources have been committed from the private and philanthropic sectors for some projects

Processes: Processes respect Indigenous culture and interests as well as the interests of funding entities

Understanding: Management of both public and private native forests harvested for wood production is regulated by codes of forest practice in all states and territories. Plantation forestry practices are regulated similarly in some states, but less prescriptively in others. Many large-scale forest owners in both public and private sectors have sought and received third-party forest certification

Planning: Intensive planning of forest operations is required for native forests in all states and territories, and for plantation forests in most jurisdictions

Inputs: High levels of inputs, funded on a commercial basis, are associated with production forestry

Processes: Processes for public native forest management have high levels of stakeholder engagement; those for private native forests and plantation forest are generally more limited

Understanding: There is a good understanding of climate variability, trade-related matters and greenhouse gas abatement, and these directly affect grazing practices. Animal welfare issues are prominent

Planning: The standard of property planning continues to improve, especially in larger integrated grazing operations

Inputs: Monitoring of grazing systems has improved. Insufficient resources are available to protect ecosystem services, due to the absence of a funding mechanism for these public goods. Survey and monitoring programs are poorly resourced

Processes: These have advanced significantly through Landcare and related activities

Understanding: There is a good understanding of climate variability, trade-related matters and the potential impacts of climate change

Planning: Sophistication continues to increase, and leading farmers use sophisticated modelling and forecasting tools to plan operations

Inputs: Weakening human capital and patchy information systems constrain economic efficiency and environmental management

Processes: Weakening investment in research and development and ongoing changes to extension services are significant matters

Understanding: The industry is in the middle of a major water reform process, which is leading to improved efficiency but inevitable disruptions. These changes are strongly contested, although a much clearer view is emerging about future development pathways (e.g. northern Australia, Murray-Darling Basin)

Planning: This has improved significantly at the farm and district scale, but regional and national planning has not been able to resolve competing contemporary and future needs for agriculture and the environment

Inputs: Weakening human capital and patchy information systems constrain current performance and capacity to adapt

Processes: Generally good at the local and district scale, but processes for dealing with reduced water allocations are only partly effective

Understanding: Unprecedented industry expansion is a profound development for Australia. Most of the industry has a much greater sensitivity to the need for environmental management and a social licence to operate. The local impacts of mining on the land environment are nearly always major, and conflict with stakeholders is inevitable. The scale of expansion is now a major issue because of emerging regional impacts (e.g. Hunter and La Trobe valleys, northern New South Wales, central Queensland)

Planning: Existing mechanisms are being tested, particularly when mining and agriculture interests are at odds

Inputs: Insufficient environmental information is hampering decision-making and policy (e.g. mapping of prime agriculture land, assessing groundwater dynamics and contamination risks)

Processes: Management of mine sites has generally improved, as has mine-site rehabilitation. Processes for some types of mines and mining continue to be contested

Understanding: Impacts on the land environment are acknowledged

Planning: The incremental nature of expansion rarely translates into an event or conflict that results in major change to planning systems. Strategic planning is only partially successful. The planning profession has lost ground in recent decades, and the need for innovation in planning is now stronger than ever

Inputs: Large private-sector investment, with modest public-sector investment

Processes: Many innovations to improve urban environments are occurring (e.g. through landscape architecture, community initiatives, urban agriculture), and urban development has less of an impact (e.g. erosion and sediment control, water-sensitive design)

Understanding: Global, national and local imperatives to reduce waste and recycle are now widely supported

Planning: Still evolving, but future constraints are significant and improvements are needed. For example, rehabilitation of existing contaminated sites and shortage of landfill sites are major challenges

Inputs: Industries and public agencies have invested in waste disposal and recycling technologies

Processes: Surveillance of existing and potentially new contaminated sites is inadequate given the potential economic costs, environmental impacts and consequences for human health