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

Showing 30 of 115 results

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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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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Motor vehicles

2016
Ambient air quality
,
Atmosphere
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Motor vehicles emit a wide range of pollutants from their tailpipes, and are a major source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (e.g. Figure ATM30). These are supplemented by non-tailpipe emissions such as brake, tyre...

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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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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...

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Nonregulated diesel engines, including shipping and nonroad transport

2016
Ambient air quality
,
Atmosphere
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Murray Darling Greater Sydney Nonroad diesel engines and equipment are used in a wide variety of applications, including rail transport, mining, construction, industrial, shipping and airport services, and can...

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Drivers: 2011–16 in context

2016
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Introduction The SoE 2011 report discussed 3 drivers of environmental change: climate change (described as a direct driver of change), and population growth and economic growth (described as indirect drivers). In SoE 2016, climate change is recognised as an...

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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 waste. In this section, the changing ‘...

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Figure COA17 a (PERCENTAGE) 2 Percentage reserved vs change in percentage reserved of major vegetation groups within 50 kilometres of the shore

2016
Coasts
Effectiveness of management
Graph

Percentage of vegetation reserved Percentage of vegetation reserved 2014 Percent Protected Vegetation Reserved Mallee Open Woodlands and Sparse Mallee Shrublands61.57 Rainforests and Vine Thickets54.09 Other Shrublands46.33 Low Closed Forests and Tall...

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Figure COA17 b (CHANGE) 2 Percentage reserved vs change in percentage reserved of major vegetation groups within 50 kilometres of the shore

2016
Coasts
Graph

Change in percentage of protected vegetation within 50 kms of shore, 2011–2016 Change in percentage of protected vegetation within 50 kms of shore, 2011–2016 Change from 2010 to 2014 Reserved Percent Mallee Open Woodlands and Sparse Mallee Shrublands0....

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Figure COA17c (AREA) 2 Percentage reserved vs change in percentage reserved of major vegetation groups within 50 kilometres of the shore

2016
Coasts
Effectiveness of management
Graph

Area of vegetation reserved Area of vegetation reserved Area of vegetation reserved 2014 thousand ha Mallee Open Woodlands and Sparse Mallee Shrublands108.427 Rainforests and Vine Thickets1368.359 Other Shrublands1097.875 Low Closed Forests and Tall...

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Australia’s water use

2016
Inland water
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Inland water Introduction Murray Darling Rainfall and run-off amounts vary widely from year to year and place to place, and we have a water management infrastructure with an accessible capacity of more than 80,000 GL to assist in redistributing...

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Pollution types

2016
Ambient air quality
,
Atmosphere
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 liquid particles suspended in air, and the PM...

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Domestic wood heaters

2016
Ambient air quality
,
Atmosphere
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Murray Darling Tasmania Australian Capital Territory East Coast Greater Sydney Emissions from domestic wood heaters—particularly smoke, but also VOCs—remain a significant pressure on...

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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 growth will affect all aspects of the environment,...

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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 Each person added to our population creates additional demand on natural resources to provide materials for...

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Water resource development

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures South East Coast South West Coast North East Coast Greater Brisbane Greater Darwin Greater Hobart Greater Adelaide Australian Capital Territory Greater Melbourne...

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Introduction

2016
Built environment
Introduction
At a glance

‘Built environment’ refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for people to live, work and recreate. It encompasses physical buildings and parks, and their supporting infrastructure such as transport, water and energy networks. Human wellbeing is affected by the built...

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Figure MAR31 d) Seasonally adjusted depth

2016
Marine environment
State and trends
Graph

(d) d) Seasonally detrended Secchi disk depths at Port Hacking d) Seasonally detrended Secchi disk depths at Port Hacking Seasonally adj Secchi disk depth m 24/02/20092.791667 19/03/2009-8.500000 23/04/2009-3.100000 19/05/2009-4.166667 24/06/2009-3....

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Box LAN12 Feral camels on Oak Valley students’ hit list

2016
Land
Effectiveness of management
Case Study

As most people living in the far west of South Australia are well aware, feral camels are highly destructive and, in large numbers, present a serious threat to the fragile local environment. The students from Oak Valley School, whose community is located on the southern fringe of...

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Mitigating the drivers of environmental change

2016 Report Content

2016 Since the first SoE report in 1996, a great deal of effort has been focused on improving environment-related policies and associated management actions. However, these are often focused on reducing pressures on the environment. For example, Australia’s regulatory regime...

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Overview of state and trends of the built environment

2016
Built environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Built environment State and trends What has changed since 2011? With water restrictions easing across many regions since 2011, Australian households have been increasing their water consumption. In 2014–15, Australian households consumed 1852 gigalitres of...

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Changing land use and management

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures Timor Sea Great Barrier Reef Greater Melbourne Land use and land management can produce pressures on aquatic environments that include changes to flow, water quality and the availability of habitat. As noted...

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Livability: Housing

2016
Built environment
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Built environment State and trends North East Coast Greater Brisbane Greater Hobart Greater Adelaide Greater Melbourne Greater Perth Greater Sydney Housing The Australian Bureau of Statistics...

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Coastal governance and management

2016
Coasts
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Coasts Effectiveness of management Great Barrier Reef As was emphasised in previous SoE reports (e.g. SoE 2011), coastal management in Australia is carried out using a range of approaches by multiple levels of government. Most management is done...

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Outcomes

2016
Heritage
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Heritage Effectiveness of management South Western Plateau Australian Capital Territory The importance of assessing management effectiveness is well recognised for protected areas, but less so for other types of heritage (Leverington et al...

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Drivers of environmental change

2016 Report Content

2016 Two drivers will continue to shape Australia’s environmental challenges in the coming decades: population growth, distribution and composition; and economic activity. Population and economic drivers lead to a range of specific pressures, which can be global, national,...

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Box HER45 Macquarie Island pest-eradication project—recovery of significance at a natural heritage place

2016
Heritage
Resilience
Case Study
... Vegetation monitoring photo sequence at Sandy ...
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Ozone

2016
Ambient air quality
,
Atmosphere
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality State and trends Greater Brisbane Australian Capital Territory Greater Melbourne Greater Perth Greater Sydney Ozone is a secondary pollutant formed through the interaction of VOCs (see Volatile...

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Decoupling population change and economic activity from environmental harm

2016
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Introduction If managed well, drivers such as population change and economic activity can benefit sustainable development, particularly through technological and institutional innovation, and changes in human behaviour. Successive SoE reports have, however,...

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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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