

Effectiveness of coastal management
Effectiveness of coastal management
Understanding
Limited scientific understanding of the impacts of multiple pressures, particularly their interactions.
Planning
Cumulative impacts management has been used in some recent planning frameworks, but only in small proportion of managed areas.
Inputs
Data on the direct effects of many pressures, and their interactions, is sparse in some areas.
Processes
Seldom implemented due to knowledge gaps and lack of resources.
Outputs and outcomes
Implemented in the Great Barrier Reef marine park zone management, though the reef remains in a poor state and is deteriorating.
Assessment Summary Key
Grades
Very effective
Elements of management effectiveness and assessment criteria |
Description of grade |
|
---|---|---|
Managing context (understanding of environmental issues; adequacy of regulatory control mechanisms and policy coverage) |
Understanding of context Decision-makers and environmental managers have a good understanding of:
Environmental considerations and information have a significant impact on national policy decisions across the broad range of government responsibilities. |
Understanding of environmental and cultural systems, and factors affecting them is good for most management issues |
Planning Policies and plans are in place that provide clarity on:
|
Effective legislation, policies and plans are in place for addressing all or most significant issues. Policies and plans clearly establish management objectives and operations targeted at major risks. Responsibility for managing issues is clearly and appropriately allocated |
|
Management capacity (adequacy of resources, appropriateness of governance arrangements and efficiency of management processes) |
Inputs Resources are available to implement plans and policies, including:
|
Financial and staffing resources are largely adequate to address management issues. Biophysical and socio-economic information is available to inform management decisions |
Processes A governance system is in place that provides for:
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Well-designed management systems are being implemented for effective delivery of planned management actions, including clear governance arrangements, appropriate stakeholder engagement, active adaptive management and adequate reporting against goals |
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Achievements (delivery of expected products, services and impacts) |
Outputs Management objectives are being met for:
|
Management responses are mostly progressing in accordance with planned programs and are achieving their desired objectives. Targeted threats are being demonstrably reduced |
Outcomes Management objectives are being met for improvements to resilience of environmental values. |
Resilience of environmental values is being maintained or improving. Values are considered secured against known threats |
Effective
Elements of management effectiveness and assessment criteria |
Description of grade |
|
---|---|---|
Managing context (understanding of environmental issues; adequacy of regulatory control mechanisms and policy coverage) |
Understanding of context Decision-makers and environmental managers have a good understanding of:
Environmental considerations and information have a significant impact on national policy decisions across the broad range of government responsibilities. |
Understanding of environmental and cultural systems, and factors affecting them is generally good, but there is some variability across management issues |
Planning Policies and plans are in place that provide clarity on:
|
Effective legislation, policies and plans are in place, and management responsibilities are allocated appropriately, for addressing many significant issues. Policies and plans clearly establish management objectives and priorities for addressing major risks, but may not specify implementation procedures |
|
Management capacity (adequacy of resources, appropriateness of governance arrangements and efficiency of management processes) |
Inputs Resources are available to implement plans and policies, including:
|
Financial and staffing resources are mostly adequate to address management issues, but may not be secure. Biophysical and socio-economic information is available to inform decisions, although there may be deficiencies in some areas |
Processes A governance system is in place that provides for:
|
Well-designed management systems are in place, but are not yet being fully implemented |
|
Achievements (delivery of expected products, services and impacts) |
Outputs Management objectives are being met for:
|
Management responses are mostly progressing in accordance with planned programs and are achieving their desired objectives. Targeted threats are understood, and measures are in place to manage them |
Outcomes Management objectives are being met for improvements to resilience of environmental values. |
Resilience of environmental values is improving, but threats remain as significant factors affecting environmental systems |
Partially effective
Elements of management effectiveness and assessment criteria |
Description of grade |
|
---|---|---|
Managing context (understanding of environmental issues; adequacy of regulatory control mechanisms and policy coverage) |
Understanding of context Decision-makers and environmental managers have a good understanding of:
Environmental considerations and information have a significant impact on national policy decisions across the broad range of government responsibilities. |
Understanding of environmental and cultural systems, and factors affecting them is only fair for most management issues |
Planning Policies and plans are in place that provide clarity on:
|
Legislation, policies and planning systems are deficient, and/or there is lack of clarity about who has management responsibility, for several significant issues |
|
Management capacity (adequacy of resources, appropriateness of governance arrangements and efficiency of management processes) |
Inputs Resources are available to implement plans and policies, including:
|
Financial and staffing resources are unable to address management issues in some important areas. Biophysical and socio-economic information is available to inform management decisions, although there are significant deficiencies in some areas |
Processes A governance system is in place that provides for:
|
Management systems provide some guidance, but are not consistently delivering on implementation of management actions, stakeholder engagement, adaptive management or reporting |
|
Achievements (delivery of expected products, services and impacts) |
Outputs Management objectives are being met for:
|
Management responses are progressing and showing signs of achieving some objectives. Targeted threats are understood, and measures are being developed to manage them |
Outcomes Management objectives are being met for improvements to resilience of environmental values. |
The expected impacts of management measures on improving resilience of environmental values are yet to be seen. Managed threats remain as significant factors influencing environmental systems |
Ineffective
Elements of management effectiveness and assessment criteria |
Description of grade |
|
---|---|---|
Managing context (understanding of environmental issues; adequacy of regulatory control mechanisms and policy coverage) |
Understanding of context Decision-makers and environmental managers have a good understanding of:
Environmental considerations and information have a significant impact on national policy decisions across the broad range of government responsibilities. |
Understanding of environmental and cultural systems, and factors affecting them is poor for most management issues |
Planning Policies and plans are in place that provide clarity on:
|
Legislation, policies and planning systems have not been developed to address significant issues |
|
Management capacity (adequacy of resources, appropriateness of governance arrangements and efficiency of management processes) |
Inputs Resources are available to implement plans and policies, including:
|
Financial and staffing resources are unable to address management issues in many areas. Biophysical and socio-economic information to support decisions is deficient in many areas |
Processes A governance system is in place that provides for:
|
Adequate management systems are not in place. Lack of consistency and integration of management activities across jurisdictions is a problem for many issues |
|
Achievements (delivery of expected products, services and impacts) |
Outputs Management objectives are being met for:
|
Management responses are either not progressing in accordance with planned programs (significant delays or incomplete actions) or the actions undertaken are not achieving their objectives. Threats are not actively being addressed |
Outcomes Management objectives are being met for improvements to resilience of environmental values. |
Resilience of environmental values is still low or continuing to decline. Unmitigated threats remain as significant factors influencing environmental systems |
Recent Trends
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Improving
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Stable
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Deteriorating
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Unclear
Confidence
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Adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
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Somewhat adequate: Adequate high-quality evidence or high level of consensus
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Limited: Limited evidence or limited consensus
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Very limited: Limited evidence and limited consensus
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Low: Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment
Comparability
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Comparable: Grade and trend are comparable to the previous assessment
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Somewhat comparable: Grade and trend are somewhat comparable to the previous assessment
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Not comparable: Grade and trend are not comparable to the previous assessment
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Not previously assessed
Comments
Nil.