Understanding the current state and condition of Australian soils requires an appreciation of their diversity and their ability to support different forms of land use.

Physical, biogeochemical, biological and ecological processes are an important component of marine ecosystem function.

Eighteen habitats and communities, ranging from the nearshore to the abyss, and from the seabed to the water column, were assessed for their current state and recent trends.

Sulfur dioxide is not discussed in SoE 2016, because there has been little change since SoE 2011. Values in the capital cities are well below the Air NEPM standards.

Responding to a changing and increasingly modified environment, especially one where directing or modifying the trajectory of change is planned, requires sufficient monitoring on relevant temporal and spatial scales, and an adaptive approach to management.

The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA; Figure BIO8) classifies Australia’s landscapes into 89 

As at December 2015, a total of 480 fauna species (terrestrial and aquatic) were listed under the EPBC Act, including 55 that are listed as extinct or extinct in the wild.

As at December 2015, a total of 480 fauna species (terrestrial and aquatic) were listed under the EPBC Act, including 55 that are listed as extinct or extinct in the wild.

As at December 2015, a total of 480 fauna species (terrestrial and aquatic) were listed under the EPBC Act, including 55 that are listed as extinct or extinct in the wild.

Given its extreme conditions, the Antarctic has a surprising diversity of ecosystems. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest and highest continent. Only about 0.18 per cent of the continent is ice-free.

The physical environment includes both the nonliving factors that characterise an ecosystem (e.g. weather patterns, ice coverage, the atmosphere) and the processes that drive them (e.g. weathering of rocks, anthropogenic emissions that deplete ozone in the atmosphere).

The Southern Ocean is changing in ways that are likely to affect regional and global climate, and marine productivity (Rhein et al. 2013).

Traditional use of marine resources is defined here as activities (fishing, collecting, hunting and gathering) by the 2 Indigenous or traditional owner groups of Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Research and management initiatives ultimately require prioritisation, because investment is finite for both funds and available effort. Evaluation of prioritisation and planning processes is limited.