Six discrete marine regions have been identified under marine bioregional planning conducted in support of the EPBC Act: North, Coral Sea, Temperate East, South-east, South-west and North-west (Figure MAR2).

International vessels operating in Australian waters mainly comprise large cargo carriers, but may also include smaller commercial ships, cruise vessels and international yachts.

Motor vehicles emit a wide range of pollutants from their tailpipes, and are a major source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (e.g. Figure ATM30).

The NEPC established national ambient air quality standards in 1998 as part of the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (Air NEPM).

Improved tools and technical advances are becoming more available, sophisticated and cost-effective for biodiversity assessment, monitoring and management. The following are increasingly being taken up for a multitude of biodiversity monitoring requirements:

Nonroad diesel engines and equipment are used in a wide variety of applications, including rail transport, mining, construction, industrial, shipping and airport services, and can be high pollution emitters.

It is clear from SoE 2016 that some parts of Australia’s environment are not yet being managed sustainably.

Without detracting from positive trends in some areas, successive SoE reports have highlighted consistent problems and trends for the Australian environment.

Coastal management in Australia uses a range of approaches by multiple levels of government. The majority of management is done by local councils and state governments.

The Murray–Darling Basin Plan, which came into effect in late 2012, guides governments, regional authorities and communities about how to sustainably manage and use the surface waters and groundwaters of the Basin.

Australia has improved various aspects of its human presence in Antarctica through improved waste treatment and repatriation, greater biosecurity screening of material transported to and from Antarctica, and successful eradication of cats, rabbits and rodents on Macquarie Island.

In April 2016, the Australian Government released the Smart Cities Plan. The plan outlines the Australian Government’s vision for cities—metropolitan and regional—and how policy, investment and technology can deliver integrated long-term planning, targeted investment and urban policy reform.

Resilience is a key underpinning principle of biodiversity strategies at all levels of government.

Given that values are what distinguish heritage places from other places, the resilience of heritage places may be understood as their ability to experience shocks while retaining their heritage values.