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Historic Content you are reading content from a previous reporting year.

Showing 30 of 386 results

No marine species has been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 threatened species list since 2011...

2016
Marine environment
State and trends
Key Finding

2016No marine species has been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 threatened species list since 2011; 8 species and 1 ecological community have been added, and 2 species have been uplisted.

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There is no indication that the major pressures on biodiversity outlined in the state of the environment (SoE)  2011 report have decreased

2016
Biodiversity
Key Finding

2016The key pressures of habitat clearing and fragmentation, invasive species and climate change remain high on the list of pressures (identified by jurisdictions) that threaten listed species and ecological communities, and biodiversity in general.  

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No marine species have been removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) threatened species list since 2011; 8 species and 1 ecological community have been added

2016
Marine environment
Key Finding

2016Since 2011, 2 sea snakes, 2 seabirds, 2 sharks, 1 sawfish and 1 fish have been listed, and 2 fish species have been reclassified as critically endangered. Giant kelp forests across south-eastern Australia were the first marine community to be listed as a threatened ecological community...

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Nonregulated diesel engines, including shipping and nonroad transport

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content
... can be high pollution emitters. In Australia, there are no regulations or standards in place that limit emissions ...
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National air quality standards

2016
Ambient air quality
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality State and trends The NEPC established national ambient air quality standards in 1998 as part of the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (Air NEPM). The Air NEPM sets...

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Motor vehicles

2016
Ambient air quality
Risks
Report Content
... carbon monoxide, 41 per cent of VOCs, 18 per cent of NO x and 17 per cent of fine particles (as PM 2.5 ). It is ...
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State and trends of groundwater resources

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Assessment summary

Inland water State and trends Groundwater resources South East CoastSouth West CoastSouth Australian GulfNorth Western PlateauMurray DarlingNorth East CoastSouth Western PlateauTasmaniaTimor Sea...

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Outlook for Australia's air quality

2016
Ambient air quality
Outlook
At a glance

At a glanceThe outlook for Australia’s urban air quality is generally good. However, there is strong evidence that periods of poor urban air quality can have serious adverse long-term and short-term impacts on human health (particularly on the health of susceptible individuals). Although...

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Pressures affecting inland water environments

2016, 2011
Inland water
Pressures
Assessment summary

Inland water Pressures Changing land use and managementWater resource developmentRecent climatePests and invasive speciesRecent climatePests and invasive species South East CoastSouth West CoastSouth Australian GulfNorth Western...

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Outlook

2016
Outlook
At a glance

In general, the outlook for Australia’s environment depends on our ability to effectively address the complex mix of drivers, pressures and risks discussed in this report. This mix can be addressed through: leadership effective engagement of the community and private sector continued...

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Pollution types

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Pollutants occur as gases (e.g. carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, VOCs such as benzene and formaldehyde) and PM. In air pollution, PM refers to solid and...

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Marine mining and industry

2016
Marine environment
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Pressures A wide variety of mineral resources exist within Australia’s maritime jurisdiction (Table MAR3). Mining of these resources, however, remains an emerging industry (AIMS 2014). As a...

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Figure BIO37 Adequacy of protection of nationally threatened species

2016
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Graph

Adequacy of protection of nationally threatened species in 2016 Adequacy of protection of nationally threatened species in 2016 Attained in strict protected areasAttained in any form of protected areasPartly attained (in any form of protected area)No habitat...

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Changing land use and management

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content
... As noted in SoE  2011, point sources of pollutants no longer significantly affect the aquatic environment. ...
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Environment protection systems

2016
Marine environment
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Effectiveness of management Tasmania Marine Temperate East Marine South West Great Barrier Reef...

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Urban environmental efficiency: Waste generation and recovery

2016
Built environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Built environment State and trends Urban environmental efficiency refers to how well the built environment encourages the efficient use of natural resources—land, energy and water—and the reuse and/or recovery of...

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Motor vehicles

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content
... tailpipes, and are a major source of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and carbon monoxide (e.g.  Figure ATM30 ). These are ...
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Air quality index

2016
Ambient air quality
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality State and trends In a number of states, the agency responsible for monitoring air quality reports results at each station in its network in terms of an air quality index (AQI; Box ATM10) for...

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State and trends of heritage values

2016, 2011
Heritage
State and trends
Assessment summary

Heritage State and trends Identification: Listing JurisdictionsIdentification: Types of HeritageCondition and Integrity: Listing JurisdictionsCondition and Integrity: Types of Heritage...

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Management context

2016
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Effectiveness of management Great Barrier Reef Biodiversity management is undertaken at all levels of government, by private enterprise, and by thousands of landholders and...

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Population as a driver of environmental change

2016 Report Content

2016 Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin Greater Hobart Greater Adelaide Greater Melbourne Greater Perth Greater Sydney...

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Population growth

2016
Heritage
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Heritage Pressures Greater Sydney Australia’s population is projected to grow to nearly 40 million by 2055 (ABS 2016). This increase will be concentrated in our capital cities. Population...

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Metropolitan cities' scorecard for particles (PM2.5) NEPM 24-hour standard, based on analysis of air quality index values, 2009-2014

2016
Ambient air quality
State and trends
Assessment summary

Ambient air quality State and trends Fine particulate matter (PM2.5)Air toxics Year...

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Pests and invasive species

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures Tasmania Lake Eyre SoE 2011 provided information on the pressure of invasive species, including cane toads (Rhinella marina, formerly Bufo...

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Box HER42 Western Australian Goldfields Water Supply Scheme—conserving and interpreting a National Heritage place

2016
Heritage
Effectiveness of management
Case Study

The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme—which runs for 560 kilometres in Western Australia, extending from Mundaring Weir in the west to Mount Charlotte Reservoir at Kalgoorlie in the east—was branded as ‘audacious’ when the project was proposed more than 120 years ago. In the...

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Figure WAT15 Extract of the ecosystem health report card for the Theresa catchment in the Queensland Fitzroy Basin, 2014

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Map

Download as pngDownload dataset Source: Fitzroy Partnership for River Health (n.d.) Figure WAT15     Extract of the ecosystem health report card for the Theresa catchment in the Queensland Fitzroy Basin, 2014 Water quality

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Condition and Integrity: Types of Heritage

2016
Heritage
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Heritage State and trends Timor Sea Greater Adelaide Lake Eyre This section examines the condition and integrity of Australian heritage...

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Water resource development

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures Murray Darling Tasmania Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin Greater Hobart...

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The main pressures affecting the Australian environment today are the same as in 2011: climate change...

2016
Pressures
Key Finding

2016The main pressures affecting the Australian environment today are the same as in 2011: climate change, land-use change, habitat fragmentation and degradation, and invasive species. There is no indication that these have decreased overall since 2011. Some individual pressures on...

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Activities associated with the built environment consume significant natural resources, but the efficiency of use of energy and water has improved recently

2016
Built environment
Key Finding

2016In recent years, we have seen reduced per-person use of greenfield land, cars and energy, and reduced per-person waste to landfill. Apart from waste to landfill, these changes are not yet enough to cause absolute declines in impact. Policies will need to accelerate the per-person...

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Australia State of the Environment 2016 has been prepared by independent experts using the best available information to support assessments of environmental condition, pressures, management effectiveness, resilience, risks and outlook.

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We, the authors, acknowledge the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community; we pay respect to them and their cultures and to their elders both past and present.

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