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

Showing 30 of 76 results

Changed hydrology

2016
Biodiversity
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Pressures Murray Darling Surface-water and groundwater conditions have varied considerably since 2011, largely in response to climate. Changes to flows and water levels are...

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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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Water management in Australia

2016
Inland water
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Inland water Effectiveness of management We have significant and expanding knowledge of the relationships between water management actions and ecological condition that are essential for effective management. Much...

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Pressures affecting biodiversity 2016

2016
Biodiversity
Pressures
At a glance

At a glanceThe pressures affecting biodiversity remain largely consistent with those identified in the 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 state of the environment reports. The most significant current pressures are clearing, fragmentation and declining quality of habitat; invasive species; climate...

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State and trends of inland water flows and levels

2016, 2011
Inland water
State and trends
Assessment summary

Inland water State and trends Water flows and levelsWater flows and levels Year...

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Water flows and levels

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Inland water State and trends South East Coast South West Coast Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania...

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Box WAT6 Groundwater-dependent ecosystem risk assessment for declining groundwater levels

2016
Inland water
Risks
Case Study
... model that identifies interrelationships between climate, hydrology, water quality and/or biotic resources, and the ...
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Changing land use and management

2016
Inland water
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Inland water Pressures Tasmania Great Barrier Reef Land use and land management can produce pressures on aquatic environments that include changes to flow, water...

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Climate change

2016
Inland water
Risks
Report Content

2016 Inland water Risks South East Coast South Australian Gulf North Western Plateau Murray Darling North East Coast...

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Assessing the effectiveness of biodiversity management

2016
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Effectiveness of management Murray Darling Although during the past few decades significant effort has been made to understand the effectiveness of biodiversity management...

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State and trends of inland water environments 2016

2016
Inland water
State and trends
At a glance

At a glanceOnline availability of flow data and water resources information has increased substantially since 2011, including: various state-based data portals a national repository with flow and other data for more than 3400 sites a national set of 222 long-term, high-quality reference...

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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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Pressures affecting the coastal environment 2016

2016
Coasts
Pressures
At a glance

At a glancePressures on the coastal zone are strongly related to catchment land use and development. In urban areas, the intensity of pressures is generally correlated with human population densities. Australia has continued to increase in population since the 2011 state of the environment...

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Pressures affecting biodiversity

2016, 2011
Biodiversity
Pressures
Assessment summary

Biodiversity Pressures Pressures facing aquatic ecosystemsChanged hydrologyAltered fire regimesPest species and pathogensPressures from livestock productionUrban developmentPollutionGlobal climate change and climate...

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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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Vegetation

2016
Land
Introduction
Report Content

2016 Land Introduction Like the soil that supports it, vegetation is fundamental to ecosystem processes and human survival. Vegetation is vital for: producing oxygen for animal and human life maintaining air quality...

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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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Recent national assessments of management performance

2016
Inland water
Effectiveness of management
Report Content

2016 Inland water Effectiveness of management The National Water Initiative has set the water policy reform agenda for the past decade, following on from the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Water Reform...

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Water abstraction and interception

2016
Inland water
Risks
Report Content

2016 Inland water Risks Three factors contribute to the risk posed by increasing water abstraction and interception: the demands of a growing population increases in per-person water consumption for this population...

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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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Jurisdictional reporting on pressures

2016
Biodiversity
Pressures
Report Content

2016 Biodiversity Pressures Tasmania Greater Darwin Australian Capital Territory Each state and territory in Australia has highlighted a range of...

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Water quality

2016
Inland water
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Inland water State and trends South East Coast South West Coast Murray Darling North East Coast Tasmania...

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Pressures affecting the land environment 2016

2016
Land
Pressures
At a glance

At a glanceAlthough a changing climate has shaped the Australian landscape and its vegetation, the current rate of climate change is likely to result in changes in the distribution and composition of vegetation communities. Some communities are likely to disappear, and others will be...

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Soil: Understanding

2016
Land
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Land State and trends South Australian Gulf Tasmania Understanding the current state and condition of Australian soils requires an appreciation of their diversity...

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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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State and trends of quality of habitats

2016
Coasts
State and trends
Assessment summary

Coasts State and trends Land–water interfaceCoastal waterways Year...

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Land–water interface

2016
Coasts
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Coasts State and trends Tasmania Greater Brisbane Greater Sydney Beaches and sand dunes Like many features at the interface of the land and...

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State and trends of the Southern Ocean

2016, 2011
Antarctic environment
State and trends
Assessment summary

Antarctic environment State and trends The physical environment: The Southern Ocean Antarctica...

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State and trends of water quality

2016, 2011
Inland water
State and trends
Assessment summary

Inland water State and trends Water qualityWater quality South East CoastSouth West CoastSouth Australian GulfNorth Western PlateauMurray DarlingNorth East CoastSouth Western PlateauTasmaniaTimor SeaLake Eyre...

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Soil: Salinity and acidification

2016
Land
State and trends
Report Content

2016 Land State and trends Murray Darling East Coast Greater Sydney Soil salinity Secondary dryland salinity has been one of Australia’s most...

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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.

This site is a major undertaking to improve the usability of SoE information. We are grateful for the support of users in our ongoing efforts to improve SoE reporting.  Please report problems with the site via our feedback page.

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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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