Assessments

Most beaches are in a dynamic but stable position with little change in decadal-scale behaviour. They are exposed to extreme wave events that can damage legacy planning infrastructure, and are vulnerable to sea level rise. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was poor, with an unclear trend.

Urban beaches in estuaries and bays continue to be subject to increased pressures including engineering interventions, urbanisation and sea level rise. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was poor, with an unclear trend.

Data are generally sparse, but heatwaves, harvesting, trampling, deteriorating water quality, urban development and sea level rise all threaten this habitat. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with a stable trend.

Sea level rise, river regulation and urbanisation are increasing pressures on mudflats and sandflats. However, studies documenting the resultant ecosystem change are lacking. The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was good, with a stable trend.

Many estuaries in Australia are negatively impacted by human activities and climate change. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was poor, with a stable trend.

Water quality is moderately good in coastal Australia. The trend is stable, but issues such as climate extremes and coastal development remain a concern. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with an unclear trend.

Human activities are degrading habitats and habitat quality, but data are poor and geographically variable, rendering the current state and trend uncertain. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was poor, with an unclear trend.

Mangroves are threatened by a range of human activities, including extreme weather events that have resulted in mass dieback in northern Australia.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with a stable trend.

Recent surveys show saltmarsh decline is continuing.
The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was good, with a stable trend.

Limited monitoring data and anecdotal accounts suggest seagrass in unpopulated areas is largely healthy, but areas with coastal development have ongoing losses.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with a stable trend.

While land clearing is less prominent than in previous years, it is still an issue with continued and profound cumulative impacts. Previously stable areas, away from urban development, have seen marked increases in environment-related degradation (climate change and large-scale bushfires), with little marked improvement at the macroscale in dune vegetation condition attributable to restoration.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with an unclear trend.

The current condition of islands varies, but trends are unclear without a national perspective. Pressures include invasive species, climate-induced changes, and over-exploitation from people and industry.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with an unclear trend.

More than half of all threatened species are found in the coastal zone and are concentrated near urban centres, where threats are greatest.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was poor, with a deteriorating trend.

Shorebirds are in severe, ongoing decline due to critical habitat loss in Australia and Asia, compounded by the impact of other threats.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with a stable trend.

Crocodiles are thriving in the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland.
The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was very good, with a stable trend.

Dugongs are in good condition in northern Australia, though threatened by habitat loss in south-eastern Queensland.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with an unclear trend.

Diversity and abundance of fish assemblages in estuaries and bays are altered by declining water and habitat quality associated with increasing human activities and climate change impacts.
The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was good, with a stable trend.

Biodiversity is probably declining, depending on coastal development, invasive species and climate change, but confidence is low due to lack of monitoring.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was good, with an unclear trend.

Extreme weather events apply significant pressure to the Australian region. Changes in trends on 5-year timescales (between assessment reports) may be due to low-frequency climate mode variability that can act to misrepresent the signatures of long-term climate change. The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

There has already been a significant increase in the frequency of extreme high sea levels and this will increase as sea levels rise. The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was low, with a deteriorating trend.

Inundation associated with extreme sea levels is slowly increasing in line with sea level rise. Beach erosion can now be monitored nationwide with satellite imagery. Most beaches are dynamic but stable, apart from legacy erosion ‘hotspots’. The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was high, with a deteriorating trend.

Coastal development is increasing. There is an immediate need for coastal planning to better manage the impacts of urban growth.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

Pressures are expected to shift more in line with domestic travel patterns, while ecosystem resilience is evident when pressures are absent.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

There is a general lack of understanding about customary fishing. A range of management arrangements have been developed to support customary fishing, but the various laws are not always supportive for all communities.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

Marine debris is widespread around Australia and there is increasing evidence of its impacts on coastal species and habitats.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

There is growing concern but large uncertainty about ecological impacts of microplastics.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

Coastal artificial light pollution is increasing annually, but its impacts are poorly understood. Research into community-level and long-term effects is required.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

Nutrient pollution continues to cause significant harm in Australia. The trend is improving, but emerging issues such as organic loads remain a concern.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was high, with a stable trend.

The state of urban estuaries is generally very poor due to legacy and contemporary contamination. The expansion of coastal cities and port developments is likely to continue the degradation of Australia’s coastal and estuarine ecosystems.

Locally significant pressures are focused around export facilities and ports rather than extraction operations, and pressures levelled off as the mining boom finished.
The Indigenous assessment for some regional areas was low, with a stable trend.

Pressure is increasing with sea level rise, coastal development and demand for supporting infrastructure such as ports and marinas, particularly around urban estuaries.

Pressure is increasing as industry grows, but most impacts are small in spatial scale.
The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was very low, with a stable trend.

At current operating levels, desalination is a relatively low-intensity and localised pressure.

Dredging is a consistent pressure, particularly in the north of Australia, but impacts are relatively localised and generally low outside the dredging footprint.
The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was very low, with a stable trend.

Reduced and altered flow regimes are driven by regulation and climate change. Environmental water flows are reducing the negative impacts of regulation.

Aquatic invasive species are a pervasive and significant threat that is difficult to manage. Management is improving with new technologies and legislation, but national surveillance is lacking.

Invasive species are a pervasive threat in coastal Australia. Many invasions are accelerating, but management approaches are also evolving rapidly.
The Indigenous assessment for some local areas was low, with a stable trend.

Major disease outbreaks, such as white spot disease (Queensland) and Pacific oyster mortality syndrome (New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia), have occurred.

Different harmful algal blooms occur in different regions and show different trends; there has been no strong overall trend in frequency of blooms.

Very few long-term datasets are available to monitor trends in jellyfish blooms, and no new datasets have emerged since 2016.

Coastal waters are 9.6% fully protected; although total protected area has increased, gains have only been partially protected.

Current policy restricts the power of Indigenous people to manage their sea Country and Country in coastal spaces.

National coastal management legislation or policy is absent.

Resourcing for adequate co-management approaches is absent. Indigenous practitioners need empowerment to implement the necessary changes.

Generally, where Indigenous communities and organisations are enabled to enact management, there is success with limited resources.

Coastal adaptation to climate change impacts, occurs primarily at the local level following general guidelines provided by states.

New policies and guidelines have been developed, and decision-makers understand the need for cumulative effects assessment and management.

Threatened species management is uncoordinated and mostly relies on habitat protection, but protection is inadequate.

Coastal restoration is an emerging management action. However, for most habitats, restoration is still done at scales too small to address degradation.