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

Showing 30 of 512 results

Ecosystem restoration

2016
Marine environment
Outlook
Report Content
... and their attributes, including species composition, ecosystem functions and resilience, are constantly changing. ... compromised and identify measures required for continuing ecosystem functioning. ...
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Pressures facing aquatic ecosystems

2016
Biodiversity
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Pressures In this report, we describe pressures facing biodiversity in general. However, pressures facing aquatic ecosystems are described in detail in the Coasts (coastal and estuarine ecosystems),...

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Freshwater species and ecosystems

2016
Biodiversity
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity State and trends Murray Darling Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Australian Capital Territory Lake Eyre...

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Terrestrial ecosystems and communities

2016
Biodiversity
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity State and trends Murray Darling Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Australian Capital Territory The Interim...

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Coastal and marine species and ecosystems

2016
Biodiversity
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity State and trends Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania Greater Darwin Greater Hobart...

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State and trends in indicators of marine ecosystem health

2016, 2011
Marine environment
State and trends
Assessment summary

This assessment summary has changed since 2011 This assessment summary combines ecological processes, physical...

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Box ANT6 Rapid collapse of an alpine ecosystem through dieback

2016
Antarctic environment
Case Study
... large quantities of seed can be harvested. This rapid ecosystem collapse on Macquarie Island highlights the ...
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Box WAT6 Groundwater-dependent ecosystem risk assessment for declining groundwater levels

2016
Inland water
Risks
Case Study
... water quality and/or biotic resources, and the biota in an ecosystem. Using the framework, a risk assessment identifies ...
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Reducing the impact of feral herbivores is an essential action for management of Australian ecosystems

2016
Biodiversity
Key Finding

2016Damage from feral buffalo, camels, cattle, donkeys, goats, horses and pigs is a key pressure on native ecosystems. Introduced herbivores transform ecosystems, thus reducing the resilience of native systems, opening pathways for weed invasion and increasing fire risks.  

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Land-use change, and habitat fragmentation and degradation threaten ecosystems and resilience

2016
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Pressures Land clearing is a fundamental pressure on the environment. It causes the loss, fragmentation and degradation of native vegetation, and a variety of impacts on our soils (e.g. erosion and loss of nutrients), waterways and coastal...

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Continuing population growth in urban and peri-urban areas impacts surrounding natural ecosystems directly and indirectly

2016
Biodiversity
Key Finding

2016Urban and peri-urban areas continue to directly encroach into surrounding natural ecosystems and may also cause indirect impacts by acting as a source of invasive species. Native wildlife in urban areas can be viewed as a benefit by residents, but can also be a source of conflict as...

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Consideration of groundwater resources and ecosystems has increased and is better informed

2016
Inland water
Key Finding

2016  Groundwater management gained significant attention and impetus during 2011–16, and focus on groundwater-dependent ecosystems has increased. A national suite of collated and standardised groundwater data is available, building on the long-term efforts of states and territories. The...

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State and trends of indicators of marine ecosystem health: Ecologial processes

2016
Marine environment
State and trends
Report Content
... ecological processes are an important component of marine ecosystem function. Together with the status and trends of ... they provide an indication of the health of the marine ecosystem (e.g.  Rombouts et al. 2013 ). Ecosystem health affects the services provided by the ...
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State and trends of indicators of marine ecosystem health: Physical, biogeochemical and biological processes

2016
Marine environment
State and trends
Report Content
... ecological processes are an important component of marine ecosystem function. Together with the status and trends of ... they provide an indication of the health of the marine ecosystem (e.g.  Rombouts et al. 2013 ). Ecosystem health affects the services provided by the ...
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Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems are changing, especially where snowfall is replaced by rain

2016
Antarctic environment
Key Finding

2016  Retreating glaciers, higher ambient temperatures and precipitation as rain rather than snow make the terrestrial environment more accessible to plant and microbial communities. A warmer climate and increased availability of liquid water enable the populations of some species to expand...

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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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Figure BIO36 WWF-Australia’s estimates of how well area-based targets for protection of terrestrial ecosystems have been met, and how much area is still required (i.e. the gap between actual area in highly protected areas and the minimum ecosystem r...

2016
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Graph

(f) WWF Australia’s estimates of how well area-based targets for protection of terrestrial ecosystems have been met...

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Resilience of biodiversity 2016

2016
Biodiversity
Resilience
At a glance

At a glanceResilience is a key underpinning principle of Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010–2030, as well as state and territory, and regional biodiversity strategies. The definition of resilience in biodiversity strategies and policies is still relatively ambiguous, and...

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A new and emerging pressure in the coastal and marine zones is the increasing amount of human litter, which affects coastal and marine ecosystems and food webs...

2016
Pressures
Key Finding

2016A new and emerging pressure in the coastal and marine zones is the increasing amount of human litter, which affects coastal and marine ecosystems and food webs. Approximately three-quarters of the debris found along the Australian coast is plastic.

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Overview of resilience of the marine environment

2016
Marine environment
Resilience
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Resilience Great Barrier Reef Marine North Marine North West Marine South East Current...

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Anthropogenic ocean warming and ocean acidification, superimposed on natural climate variations, pose risks to Australia’s marine ecosystems and their habitats, communities and species groups

2016
Marine environment
Key Finding

2016Sea surface temperatures are continuing to increase, with surface ocean warming during the 21st century occurring at approximately 7 times the rate observed during the 20th century. The frequency of extreme sea surface temperature events has increased. Rising summer ocean temperatures...

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Introduction

2016
Introduction
At a glance

A healthy environment sustains our economy and wellbeing The environment provides significant intrinsic values to society, and many consider that the natural world has innate worth regardless of whether or not it has values that benefit humans. At a more practical level, the...

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Managing for resilience

2016
Marine environment
Resilience
Report Content

2016 Marine environment Resilience Great Barrier Reef Marine North Marine North West Marine South East Most management...

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State and trends of biodiversity

2016, 2011
Biodiversity
State and trends
Assessment summary

Biodiversity State and trends Coastal and marine species and ecosystemsFreshwater species and ecosystemsTerrestrial plant and animal species: Threatened species listsTerrestrial ecosystems and communitiesGenetic and species...

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Resilience of inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
Resilience
At a glance

At a glanceA challenge in assessing resilience of inland water environments is recognising resilience when it occurs, especially because Australian ecosystems have developed to be both resistant and resilient. We can contribute to resilience by reducing extreme and detrimental ecosystem...

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Factors affecting resilience capacity

2016
Biodiversity
Resilience
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Resilience Murray Darling Tasmania Multiple factors acting at various levels of organisation, from species to landscapes, will interact to determine...

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Cumulative impacts and management of multiple uses

2016
Marine environment
Effectiveness of management
Report Content
Ecosystem-based management aims to balance human activities with environmental stewardship to maintain ecosystem properties, functions and services. This requires ... of how human activities interact and affect different ecosystem components ( Halpern et al. 2008 , Levin et al. ...
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Overview of resilience of biodiversity

2016
Biodiversity
Resilience
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Resilience Resilience is a key underpinning principle of biodiversity strategies at all levels of government. However, the definition of resilience in most strategies and policies is still relatively...

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Managing biodiversity for resilience

2016
Biodiversity
Resilience
Report Content
... new insights into the ecological processes influencing ecosystem persistence and recovery. However, use of the ...
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Figure BIO33 Funding for TERN, the ALA and IMOS, 2009–10 to 2015–16

2016
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Graph

Funding for the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Atlas of Living Australia and the Integrated Marine Observing System, 2009–2016 Funding for the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Atlas of Living Australia and the Integrated Marine Observing System, 2009...

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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.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2017-2018

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