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Australia State of the Environment Report

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Topics

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

Topics

A topic is a specific issue or subject discussed in the report. Each theme discusses these topics in detail.

From this page you can use the filters below to refine a list of topics of interest to you, or, list all topics available in the SoE report.

Heritage

Historic heritage

The major mechanism for managing historic heritage in Australia is through statutory lists and registers, which are neither cohesive nor comprehensive.
2016
  • Read more about Historic heritage
Relates to
Heritage
Outlook
Timor Sea
Land

Human capital

Although positive developments in resourcing, evidence-based policy-making and management effectiveness are evident, ongoing improvements depend heavily on the quality and overall capacity of the human resources, networks and infrastructure involved in land planning and management.
2016
  • Read more about Human capital
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Land
Effectiveness of management
Timor SeaEast Coast
Antarctic environment

Human influences on Antarctica

As detailed in the Drivers report, the key drivers of environmental change are population and economic growth.
2016
  • Read more about Human influences on Antarctica
Relates to
Antarctic environment
Pressures
Antarctica
Heritage

Identification: Listing Jurisdictions

In Australia, heritage is defined by both statutory and nonstatutory listing processes, which result in inventories and areas of reserved lands.
2016
  • Read more about Identification: Listing Jurisdictions
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Heritage
State and trends
South CoastMurray DarlingNorth East CoastTasmaniaTimor SeaMarine South WestGreater HobartEast CoastMarine North WestMarine South EastLake EyreGulf of CarpentariaAntarctica
Heritage

Identification: Types of Heritage

In Australia, heritage is defined by both statutory and nonstatutory listing processes, which result in inventories and areas of reserved lands.
2016
  • Read more about Identification: Types of Heritage
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Heritage
State and trends
South CoastMurray Darling
Biodiversity

Importance of biodiversity

Biodiversity is important to humans for many reasons. Biodiversity is also considered by many to have intrinsic value—that is, each species has a value and a right to exist, whether or not it is known to have value to humans.
2016
  • Read more about Importance of biodiversity
Relates to
Biodiversity
Introduction
TasmaniaGreat Barrier Reef
Overview

Improving management effectiveness

Managing the environment increasingly requires an understanding of how different pressures interact, and how management frameworks interact across different jurisdictions and sectors.
2016
  • Read more about Improving management effectiveness
Relates to
Effectiveness of management
Biodiversity

In this report

This report describes the current pressures on biodiversity, and the state and trends of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and organisms in 2016.
2016
  • Read more about In this report
Relates to
Biodiversity
Introduction
Land

In this report

This report provides an account of the most significant and recent human impacts on our land.
2016
  • Read more about In this report
Relates to
Land
Introduction
Built environment

Increased consumption

Population and economic growth also drive consumption, causing increased demand for resources, particularly land (see Increased urban footprint), energy and water.
2016
  • Read more about Increased consumption
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Pressures
Built environment

Increased extreme weather events

Population trends, urbanisation and residential shifts to high-risk areas will intersect with climate change to increase Australian’s exposure to natural hazards (Australian Government 2015b).
2016
  • Read more about Increased extreme weather events
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Pressures
Murray DarlingNorth East CoastTimor SeaGreater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater HobartGreater AdelaideAustralian Capital TerritoryGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Built environment

Increased pollution

Production and consumption activities occurring in our built environments often lead to increased pollution in our built and natural environments.
2016
  • Read more about Increased pollution
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Pressures
Greater BrisbaneGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Built environment

Increased sea levels

Changes in sea level are pressuring coastal locations. Coastal infrastructure is affected, and, when the sea encroaches further onto the land, space for development is reduced.
2016
  • Read more about Increased sea levels
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Pressures
South West CoastSouth Australian GulfNorth East CoastGreater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater AdelaideGreater PerthGreater SydneyIndian Ocean
Built environment

Increased traffic

Traffic is greatly affected by pressures from population and economic growth, unless there is a significant decline in car use per person. Any associated traffic increase is, in turn, its own pressure on urban amenity and livability.
2016
  • Read more about Increased traffic
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Pressures
Greater Sydney
Built environment

Increased urban footprint

One of the main drivers of environmental change identified in the Drivers report is population growth (Figure BLT2).
2016
  • Read more about Increased urban footprint
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Pressures
South West CoastNorth East CoastGreater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater HobartGreater AdelaideAustralian Capital TerritoryEast CoastGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Climate

Increases in greenhouse gases

Human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels during the past 250 years, has caused well-quantified increases in the concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere (Figure ATM1).
2016
  • Read more about Increases in greenhouse gases
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Climate
Pressures
TasmaniaGreater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater HobartGreater Melbourne
Ambient air quality

Increasing population

Globally, just over 50 per cent of the world’s population lives in cities; in Australia, it is 90 per cent.
2016
  • Read more about Increasing population
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Greater MelbourneGreater Sydney
Heritage

Indigenous heritage

SoE 2011 (SoE Committee 2011) recognised that the connection between people and Country is a fundamental aspect of Indigenous cultural heritage.
2016
  • Read more about Indigenous heritage
Relates to
Heritage
Outlook
Climate

Indirect (secondary and tertiary) effects of pressures on climate

Changes in temperature and precipitation, and extreme events trigger indirect effects of climate change on the environment, affecting economic and social processes and systems, and natural ecosystems.
2016
  • Read more about Indirect (secondary and tertiary) effects of pressures on climate
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Climate
Pressures
Timor SeaGreat Barrier Reef
Ambient air quality

Industrial point sources

If not effectively controlled, emissions from industry can place health and amenity at risk, not only at the neighbourhood level, but more generally at the airshed level.
2016
  • Read more about Industrial point sources
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Risks
Ambient air quality

Industry

Traditional major industry is in decline in Australia, and this has produced a corresponding decrease in many emissions to air.
2016
  • Read more about Industry
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Pressures
Murray Darling
Inland water

Inland water: 2011–16 in context

The past 5 years opened with widespread heavy rainfall and extensive flooding in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and closed with some areas having record-breaking temperatures from October to December 2015.
2016
  • Read more about Inland water: 2011–16 in context
Relates to
Inland water
Introduction
Murray DarlingTasmania
Heritage

Inputs: Financial Resources

In the absence of comprehensive programs for monitoring the state of Australia’s heritage, inputs provide a surrogate basis for evaluating some aspects of management effectiveness. Relevant inputs include financial and human resources, and investment in applied research.
2016
  • Read more about Inputs: Financial Resources
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Heritage
Effectiveness of management
TasmaniaTimor SeaGreater DarwinGreat Barrier ReefCocos ChristmasGreater MelbourneGreater Sydney
Heritage

Inputs: Human Resources

In the absence of comprehensive programs for monitoring the state of Australia’s heritage, inputs provide a surrogate basis for evaluating some aspects of management effectiveness. Relevant inputs include financial and human resources, and investment in applied research.
2016
  • Read more about Inputs: Human Resources
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Heritage
Effectiveness of management
TasmaniaTimor SeaGreater DarwinGreat Barrier ReefCocos ChristmasGreater MelbourneGreater Sydney
Coasts

Integrated coastal management frameworks

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is the process for managing all coastal issues in a framework integrated across biota and habitats, time and space, and levels of government.
2016
  • Read more about Integrated coastal management frameworks
Relates to
Coasts
Effectiveness of management
Biodiversity

Interactions among pressures

Few of the pressures documented in this section occur in isolation. Rather, pressures interact in complex ways, often compounding the threat to biodiversity.
2016
  • Read more about Interactions among pressures
Relates to
Biodiversity
Pressures
Overview

Invasive species are a potent, persistent and widespread threat to Australia’s environment

Invasive species are animals, plants, parasites or disease-causing organisms that establish themselves outside their natural range and become pests.
2016
  • Read more about Invasive species are a potent, persistent and widespread threat to Australia’s environment
Relates to
Pressures
Biodiversity

Jurisdictional reporting on pressures

Each state and territory in Australia has highlighted a range of key pressures in their jurisdictional reporting.
2016
  • Read more about Jurisdictional reporting on pressures
Relates to
Biodiversity
Pressures
TasmaniaGreater DarwinAustralian Capital Territory
Marine environment

Jurisdictions covered

Australia’s marine environment is part of the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Southern Ocean. It covers a diversity of seascapes and unique biodiversity values associated with tropical and Antarctic waters, from the shoreline to the abyss.
2016
  • Read more about Jurisdictions covered
Relates to
Marine environment
Introduction
Indian Ocean
Marine environment

Key gaps in evaluating the marine environment

This report has highlighted a number of key gaps in our current ability to assess the state of the Australian marine environment. In this section, we summarise these key gaps and identify potential avenues by which they might be addressed.
2016
  • Read more about Key gaps in evaluating the marine environment
Relates to
Marine environment
Outlook

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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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Acknowledgment of Country

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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