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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.

Climate

Kyoto Protocol targets

As a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, ratified in 2007, Australia committed to limiting increases in net GHG emissions to 108 per cent of its 1990 levels from 2008 to 2012.
2016
  • Read more about Kyoto Protocol targets
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Climate
Pressures
Inland water

Land and water use and management

Risks from changes to land management arise mainly through potential hydrological and water quality changes, whereas those from water management relate to changes in the timing and nature of flows that may be beneficial or detrimental to aquatic ecosystem health.
2016
  • Read more about Land and water use and management
Relates to
Inland water
Risks
Murray Darling
Land

Land use and management

Australia’s population is concentrated along the eastern, south-eastern and south-western coastal fringes.
2016
  • Read more about Land use and management
Relates to
Land
State and trends
North East CoastGreat Barrier Reef
Overview

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

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 regions (e.g. sedimentation and pollution).
2016
  • Read more about Land-use change, and habitat fragmentation and degradation threaten ecosystems and resilience
Relates to
Pressures
Land

Land: 2011–16 in context

The past 5 years has seen an ongoing relaxation of the effects of the millennium drought and recovery in many areas (the millennium drought in southern Australian lasted from 2000 to 2010, although in some areas it began as early as 1997 and ended as late as 2012).
2016
  • Read more about Land: 2011–16 in context
Relates to
Land
Introduction
North East CoastTasmaniaLake Eyre
Land

Landscape and soil

Under natural conditions, the land (i.e. landforms, soils, drainage networks of streams and rivers, vegetation and other biota) is in some sort of equilibrium with the climate and disturbance factors such as bushfire.
2016
  • Read more about Landscape and soil
Relates to
Land
Resilience
Great Barrier Reef
Coasts

Land–water interface

Climate change is driving global and regional sea level rise, and more intense and frequent extreme sea levels.
2016
  • Read more about Land–water interface
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Coasts
Pressures
South West CoastSouth Australian GulfGreater AdelaideGreat Barrier ReefGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Coasts

Land–water interface

Like many features at the interface of the land and water, beaches are dynamic environments and vary widely in morphology, wave climates, tidal regimes, sedimentology and degree of modification.
2016
  • Read more about Land–water interface
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Coasts
State and trends
TasmaniaGreater BrisbaneGreater Sydney
Ambient air quality

Lead

Lead levels have declined since the early 1990s, because of the ban on lead in petrol for motor vehicles. Although isolated hotspots of lead concentrations still exist in locations where lead smelting is undertaken, some of these are also decreasing.
2016
  • Read more about Lead
Relates to
Ambient air quality
State and trends
South Australian Gulf
Heritage

Likely trends in key factors

The vision of the Australian Heritage Strategy is that:
2016
  • Read more about Likely trends in key factors
Relates to
Heritage
Outlook
Great Barrier Reef
Built environment

Livability: Air and water quality

Although Australian cities, as they function currently, demonstrate environmental footprints that are not sustainable, they generally rank high on measures of livability.
2016
  • Read more about Livability: Air and water quality
Relates to
Built environment
State and trends
North Western PlateauSouth Western Plateau
Built environment

Livability: Housing

Although Australian cities, as they function currently, demonstrate environmental footprints that are not sustainable, they generally rank high on measures of livability.
2016
  • Read more about Livability: Housing
Relates to
Built environment
State and trends
North East CoastGreater BrisbaneGreater HobartGreater AdelaideGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Built environment

Livability: Natural environment

Although Australian cities, as they function currently, demonstrate environmental footprints that are not sustainable, they generally rank high on measures of livability.
2016
  • Read more about Livability: Natural environment
Relates to
Built environment
State and trends
Murray DarlingNorth East CoastTasmaniaGreater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater HobartGreater AdelaideAustralian Capital TerritoryGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Built environment

Livability: Transport

Although Australian cities, as they function currently, demonstrate environmental footprints that are not sustainable, they generally rank high on measures of livability.
2016
  • Read more about Livability: Transport
Relates to
Built environment
State and trends
Murray DarlingNorth East CoastTasmaniaGreater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater HobartGreater AdelaideAustralian Capital TerritoryEast CoastGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Built environment

Livability: Urban amenity

Although Australian cities, as they function currently, demonstrate environmental footprints that are not sustainable, they generally rank high on measures of livability.
2016
  • Read more about Livability: Urban amenity
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
State and trends
Greater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater HobartGreater AdelaideAustralian Capital TerritoryGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Antarctic environment

Management achievements

Australian officials actively participate in the international forums of the Antarctic Treaty System to promote improved environmental protection and conservation outcomes for the Antarctic region.
2016
  • Read more about Management achievements
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Antarctic environment
Effectiveness of management
Antarctica
Biodiversity

Management capacity

It is has been widely acknowledged that management agencies are required to manage biodiversity despite an incomplete understanding and limited resources.
2016
  • Read more about Management capacity
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
TasmaniaAustralian Capital Territory
Biodiversity

Management context

Biodiversity management is undertaken at all levels of government, by private enterprise, and by thousands of landholders and volunteers across Australia.
2016
  • Read more about Management context
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Great Barrier Reef
Land

Management context

Legislative arrangements for the management of public lands continue to be relatively stable, despite flux in the names, structures and specific responsibilities of the government departments and agencies that oversee management.
2016
  • Read more about Management context
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Land
Effectiveness of management
Murray DarlingTasmania
Built environment

Management focus areas

Along with overall land-use planning, management of the built environment also requires planning around several specific components of the environment and human activity. Current focus areas include transport and traffic, water, energy, waste, and disaster management.
2016
  • Read more about Management focus areas
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Built environment
Effectiveness of management
Greater BrisbaneGreater DarwinGreater AdelaideAustralian Capital TerritoryGreater MelbourneGreater PerthGreater Sydney
Ambient air quality

Management framework

Each level of government—Australian, state and territory, and local—plays a role in managing the impacts of air pollution by preventing or minimising air pollutant emissions.
2016
  • Read more about Management framework
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Effectiveness of management
Greater Sydney
Biodiversity

Management initiatives and investments

NRM funding provides key measures that include many practical elements of protecting and sustainably managing biodiversity.
2016
  • Read more about Management initiatives and investments
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Ambient air quality

Management of sources of pollution

Environmental agencies in the states and territories are responsible for controlling pollutant emissions from large industrial point sources, such as power stations, refineries, smelters, manufacturing plants, cement works and abattoirs.
2016
  • Read more about Management of sources of pollution
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Ambient air quality
Effectiveness of management
South East CoastSouth Australian GulfEast CoastGreater SydneyGulf of Carpentaria
Climate

Management outputs and outcomes

Reductions in GHG emissions are essential to minimise the amount of global warming and associated impacts.
2016
  • Read more about Management outputs and outcomes
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Climate
Effectiveness of management
Antarctic environment

Management processes

Several processes contribute to the overall management of the Antarctic region, including the framework for protected areas, as well as activities on the stations and in the field.
2016
  • Read more about Management processes
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Antarctic environment
Effectiveness of management
Antarctica
Biodiversity

Management status

Australia has an agreed intergovermental strategy for developing a comprehensive, adequate and representative National Reserve System: Australia’s Strategy for the National Reserve System 2009–2030.
2016
  • Read more about Management status
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Biodiversity
Effectiveness of management
Murray DarlingTasmania
Biodiversity

Managing biodiversity for resilience

The ability of ecosystems to tolerate and recover from disturbance is a phenomenon that is vitally important to understand.
2016
  • Read more about Managing biodiversity for resilience
Relates to
Biodiversity
Resilience
Marine environment

Managing for resilience

Most management systems aimed at maintaining or enhancing resilience in components of the marine environment focus on reducing the cumulative nature of multiple impacts and avoiding dramatic shifts in species composition, also known as regime shifts.
2016
  • Read more about Managing for resilience
Relates to
Marine environment
Resilience
Great Barrier ReefMarine NorthMarine North WestMarine South East
Marine environment

Marine debris

Within the marine environment, marine debris is sourced from both the land (rubbish flushed out to sea; see further detail on coastal pollution in the Coasts report) and marine industries (loss of equipment, often from fishing operat
2016
  • Read more about Marine debris
  • See Assessment Summaries
Relates to
Marine environment
Pressures
Marine environment

Marine environment: 2011–16 in context

In the 5 years since SoE 2011, the marine environment has experienced several climate extremes, including one of the strongest La Niña events on record, in 2010–12, and the strongest El Niño event since 1998, in 2015–16 (see
2016
  • Read more about Marine environment: 2011–16 in context
Relates to
Marine environment
Introduction
TasmaniaMarine Temperate EastMarine South WestGreat Barrier ReefEast CoastMarine NorthMarine Coral Sea

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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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