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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

 

On 28 March 2025 the government assumed a Caretaker role. Information on websites maintained by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will be published in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions until after the conclusion of the caretaker period.

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.

Indigenous

Written by Dr Terri Janke, Zena Cumpston, Dr Rosemary Hill, Dr Emma Woodward, Stephanie von Gavel, Dr Pia Harkness and Joe Morrison. 

Uteb Azimwaretli.

Protect our land.

Kerbi Au Tonarira Tugar Ged Azi.

The strength of our culture keeps our land strong.

Meriam Nation
Indigenous ways of knowing and seeing are essential for meeting the environmental challenges of today and the future. As the world’s oldest living culture, Indigenous peoples have dealt with environmental change over millennia. Their role in caring for Country is far more than environmental management – it is caring for Country as if land and seas are kin.  
Indigenous artwork by Emily Kame Kngwarreye
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 Country and Indigenous wellbeing, based on how they are tracking now and how we are changing.
Start with Outlook and impacts
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Environment
How are the different aspects of Indigenous Country tracking? Explore Indigenous Country and connections, knowledge, language and practices.
Start with Environment
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Pressures
What are the pressures on Indigenous Country and wellbeing? Identify the main pressures from governance, information, climate, development and industry, and find out how they are affecting both environmental health and the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples.
Start with Pressures
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Management
How effective is our management of Indigenous Country and how well are Indigenous people empowered to care for Country? Are their voices heard? Discover the main management interventions and approaches that support caring for Country, and how well they protect our environment 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 Indigenous
The health of Country and people are deeply interconnected
Indigenous peoples care for Country as kin
Indigenous voices must be heard 
Self-determination is key
Infographic showing that Indigenous people not only have the right to be involved in managing the environment, but that empowering Indigenous people to do so will benefit them and the environment and so benefit all Australians. This empowerment includes rights about data collection, storage and use, about intellectual property, about land and water, and about policy and regulations.