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

Showing 30 of 202 results

Box ATM9 Research into emissions from coal-seam gas extraction activities

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Case Study
The coal-seam gas industry has developed rapidly in Queensland in the past ... 15 years, with more than $70 billion of investment in 3 coal-seam gas to liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. LNG ...
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Industry

2016
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Ambient air quality Pressures Murray Darling Traditional major industry is in decline in Australia, and this has produced a corresponding decrease in many emissions to air. For example, in...

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Consumption and extraction of natural resources

2016
Biodiversity
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Pressures Murray Darling Tasmania Harvesting of species The impact of harvesting is considered a potential threat to 30 per cent of listed threatened...

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Energy and resource extraction and processing

2016
Coasts
Pressures
Report Content
... needed to extract diffuse energy sources such as coal-seam gas. The main contributors of processing and export are nearshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing plants, LNG and minerals (coal, iron ...
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Land and water use and management

2016
Inland water
Risks
Report Content

2016 Inland water Risks Murray Darling Risks from changes to land management arise mainly through potential hydrological and water quality changes, whereas those from water management relate to...

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Inland water: 2011–16 in context

2016
Inland water
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Inland water Introduction Murray Darling Tasmania The past 5 years opened with widespread heavy rainfall and extensive flooding in Queensland, New South Wales and...

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Outlook for inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
Outlook
At a glance

At a glanceClimate and pests remain the largest pressures on our inland water environments. Climate variability and climate change, and associated changes in rainfall regimes, are the primary risks to inland water environments in both the short and long term. Efforts will need to continue to...

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Overview of effectiveness of management of inland water

2016
Inland water
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Inland water Effectiveness of management Murray Darling The Murray–Darling Basin Plan, which came into effect in late 2012, guides governments, regional authorities and communities about...

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Introduction 2016

2016
Inland water
Introduction
At a glance

The capricious nature of our nation’s water resources was evident during 2011–16, with: record rainfall and record dryness at local, regional and state scales extended and extensive flooding national water storage levels varying from above 80 per cent to below 50 per cent groundwater...

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Overview of state and trends of the land

2016
Land
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Land State and trends Timor Sea Great Barrier Reef What has changed since 2011? The effects of the millennium drought in southern Australian (2000–10, although in...

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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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Land: 2011–16 in context

2016
Land
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Land Introduction North East Coast Tasmania Lake Eyre The past 5 years has seen an ongoing relaxation of the effects of the millennium...

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Groundwater resources

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Inland water State and trends South East Coast South West Coast South Australian Gulf North Western Plateau...

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Pressures affecting inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
Pressures
At a glance

At a glanceOverall, the key pressures affecting inland water environments have changed little since 2011, with climatic and pest-based pressures increasing, land-use and management pressures remaining largely stable, and some stabilisation occurring in the pressure of water resources...

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Executive Summary - Inland water

2016
Inland water
Executive Summary

Inland water 2016Australia’s inland waters, both above and below the ground, are of considerable ecological significance. Their significance arises from both their intrinsic ecological values and the contribution they make in providing water to our communities...

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Pressures affecting ambient air quality

2016, 2011
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Assessment summary

Ambient air quality Pressures Prescribed burning and bushfiresIncreasing populationNonregulated diesel engines, including shipping and nonroad transportCommercial and other domestic sourcesDomestic wood heatersIndustryMotor...

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Risks

2016
Risks
At a glance

Even after management actions and resilience are taken into consideration, some pressures can continue to pose a risk to the environment. Identifying and assessing the risk to the environment examines both the likelihood that the impact will take place and the severity of anticipated...

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Economic activity as a driver of environmental change

2016 Report Content

2016 The production of goods and services requires energy and materials—metals, minerals, water, food and fibre—all of which come from the environment. The impacts of resource extraction, production, transport, use and waste generation are central to how economic activity affects...

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Executive summary - Overview

2016 Executive Summary

2016In the past 5 years (2011–16), environmental policies and management practices in Australia have achieved improvements in the state and trends of parts of the Australian environment. Australia’s built environment, natural and cultural heritage, and marine and Antarctic environments are...

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Risks to inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
Risks
At a glance

At a glanceRisks to inland water environments include direct risks (such as direct water extraction, or changes in run-off and recharge) and indirect risks (such as expansion of invasive species because of increased tourism). Climate changes may produce both types of risks. Updated climate...

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Overview of challenges to effective management

2016
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Effectiveness of management Without detracting from positive trends in some areas, successive SoE reports have highlighted consistent problems and trends for the Australian environment. These include: the continuing loss of Australia’s...

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Availability of information

2016
Biodiversity
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Pressures No consistent national-level data are available on the impact of pressures on all aspects of biodiversity in the past 5 years. The Australian Government released a Threatened Species...

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Contemporary land-use pressures on the land environment

2016, 2011
Land
Pressures
Assessment summary

Land Pressures Contemporary land-use pressures Year...

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Regional and landscape-scale pressures: Bushfire

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures Bushfires (wildfires) are uncontrolled fire in the landscape. These particularly affect natural or seminatural vegetation, and have significant positive and negative effects on landscape and...

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Contemporary land-use pressures

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures Murray Darling North East Coast Great Barrier Reef East Coast Greater Sydney...

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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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Ecological processes and species populations

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Inland water State and trends South East Coast Murray Darling Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Lake Eyre...

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Effectiveness of inland water management

2016, 2011
Inland water
Effectiveness of management
Assessment summary

Inland water Effectiveness of management Recent national assessments of management performanceWater management in AustraliaReviews of state and regional managementReviews of state and regional management Murray DarlingTasmania...

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Land use and management

2016
Land
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Land State and trends North East Coast Great Barrier Reef Australia’s population is concentrated along the eastern, south-eastern and south-western coastal fringes...

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Regional and landscape-scale pressures: Land clearing

2016
Land
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Land Pressures Land clearing represents a fundamental pressure on the land environment, causing the loss and fragmentation of native vegetation. Depending on subsequent management, land clearing can also lead to a...

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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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