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We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the sovereign Traditional Owners of Australia and thank them for their stewardship of this Country, its lands, waters and skies. We respectfully acknowledge their culture and customary practices, and pay respect to their Ancestors, Elders and future leaders.

For the first time, the State of the Environment report includes a strong Indigenous narrative across all 12 thematic chapters, a narrative crafted through recognising the leadership, collaboration and authorship of Indigenous Australians who continue their connection as Traditional Owners to their lands, waters and skies.

Click to view the State of the Environment report

Due to technical issues, graphs, maps and tables are currently not displaying within the main content, however, are available via the chapter resources navigation bar. We are working on a solution to resolve the issue.

Heritage

Written by Anne McConnell, Dr Terri Janke, Zena Cumpston and Dr Ian Cresswell.

kaneepoorreewooka-wanoong meerreeng – peeneeyt meerreeng, peeneeyt maar 

We honour Country – strong Country strong people

The language used in the title of this Report is from the Keerray Wooroong language of the Gunditjmara Nation language family
Australia’s heritage tells our story and is irreplaceable. Our heritage is those aspects of the natural and cultural environment that we wish to look after and pass on to future generations. This means that decisions that might damage or destroy Australia’s heritage need to be made with the greatest of care and with a clear understanding of their impact.   
Kelp Water Carrier by Eva Richardson
Key Findings
Find out the main messages of the report. Each chapter has 10 key points that summarise the findings of the chapter.
Start with Key findings
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Outlook and impacts
Where are we headed? Understand the outlook of our heritage, based on how it is tracking now and how we are managing it. Also find out how recent changes will affect our health and wellbeing.
Start with Outlook and impacts
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Environment
How are the different aspects of our heritage tracking? Explore the condition of Indigenous, natural and historic heritage, as well as our protected World, National and Commonwealth Heritage sites.
Start with Environment
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Pressures
What are the pressures on our heritage? Identify the main climate, population and industry pressures for heritage, and find out how they are affecting heritage values and our own wellbeing.
Start with Pressures
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Management
How effective is our management of heritage? Discover the main management interventions and approaches, and how well they protect our heritage and minimise the impact of pressures.
Start with Management
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Chapter resources
Find out about the chapter authors and their analysis approach, the artwork appearing in the chapter, and the available supplementary material.
Explore Authors and acknowledgments
Explore Assessments
Explore Graphs, maps and tables
Explore Case studies
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Explore findings from Heritage
Australia’s rich heritage tells the story of our nation and people
Our heritage is not adequately protected
Indigenous heritage and geoheritage need particular attention
Adaptive planning and management can help to manage pressures on heritage
Infographic showing that we have various protections for heritage. They vary with jurisdiction, type of heritage and other factors. But they are not well coordinated, so there are gaps which leave some heritage at risk.