Assessments

Many native ecosystems have been extensively cleared and at least 50% of remaining habitats are highly degraded. There are local areas of restoration and regrowth.

Some clearing of native ecosystems and more extensive grazing pressures have reduced the overall quality. Land-use intensification and conversion, as well as increasingly frequent and intense fires, contribute to degradation.

Many of the native ecosystems remain intact, but are vulnerable to potential impacts of ongoing small-scale land-use change, invasive species pressures and extreme climate events.

Decades of land-use intensification have altered the structure and function of vulnerable soils, requiring significant inputs to maintain productivity. There are local areas of regenerative and restorative practices.

Although this zone has generally lower-intensity land use, there is still significant damage to soils from unsustainable grazing practices and climate change extremes that reduce groundcover and expose soils to erosion.

Pressures on soils are variable across this zone, with a decline in soil fertility in areas of grazing and clearing. This can be compounded by climate change extremes that reduce groundcover, thereby exposing soils to degradation from erosion.

Many above-ground ecosystems have been extensively cleared or replaced, and a large proportion of above-ground carbon has been lost. Many soils are vulnerable to carbon loss and have varying levels of intensity of agricultural land use. There has been minimal recovery (e.g. through sustained regrowth, replanting, regenerative land use).

Many of the native ecosystems have reduced biomass leading to depletion of above-ground carbon stocks. Some soils are vulnerable due to lower levels of groundcover associated with agricultural land use. Land-use intensification and conversion, as well as increasingly frequent and intense fires, continue to reduce standing biomass.

Many of the native ecosystems remain intact, but are vulnerable to potential reductions in biomass from ongoing small-scale land-use change and extreme events attributed to climate change. Fewer vulnerable soils are found in relatively natural areas and generally have less intensive land use.

Climate change is accelerating and exerting greater pressure on both natural and managed systems to adapt. Ecosystems are deteriorating and many species are in decline, though some are being advantaged. Farming systems are increasingly needing to adapt to changed conditions or diversify as aridity under climate change reduces profitability.

Clearing of relatively natural environments and conversion to more intensive uses are still a significant cause of environmental disturbance across Australia. Land clearing has increased in recent years, particularly in Queensland and New South Wales, and in more localised areas of agricultural or urban development elsewhere. While there is still substantial primary conversion of native vegetation, there has been a greater shift to reclearing or thinning of forest regrowth, with longer-term impacts on land sustainability.

Extensive areas of grazing and cropping are significant land uses that are intensifying in production regions, with a range of potential impacts. There continues to be significant new mine and waste-site developments in conflict with other land uses. The legacy of past mining is still large and there is considerable public concern about unconventional gas developments. Urban and residential uses are replacing high-value agricultural land, and placing multiple-use pressures on remnant natural areas and leading to higher fire frequencies to reduce disaster risk.

The burden of introduced species with potential to become invasive remains high and is increasing, though the rate of increase may have slowed. Most invasive non-native species are associated with intensive land-use zones, but highly invasive transformer species are altering the structure and function of ecosystems even on remote lands in the relatively natural zone.
Australia’s biosecurity arrangements are some of the best in the world and have been partially effective, but new threats continue to emerge.
Progress has been made in developing national approaches to weeds, pests and diseases, and additional resources have been made available.

The past 5 years have seen minimal increases in the extent of protected areas, mainly through increases in private conservation and some Indigenous estate. There has been a trend towards more multiple-use and joint management areas over the past decade.

Indigenous ownership and interests in land are increasing, driving increases in the National Reserve System and bringing both environmental and wellbeing benefits for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Legislation and policy have resulted in the handover of lands to Indigenous people, either through direct ownership – through land trust, native title rights and interests – or joint management through some form of regulatory agreement. Inadequate resourcing and training support limited reintroduction of Indigenous land management practices, and recognition given to these practices is lacking.

While some states and territories are tightening vegetation management laws to restrict land clearing, others have changed laws leading to increased rates of clearing (authorised and unauthorised), with high impacts. Enhanced monitoring tools provide for greater compliance in future. While there is increasing awareness of the condition of native vegetation and flow-on impacts, national coordination of vegetation management is lacking.

Land-use intensification and climate change continue to interact, making it harder for land managers to maintain groundcover and meet minimum targets to protect soils from wind and water erosion. Increasing emphasis on restoring soil function through multiple investment programs across government and industry, combined with monitoring and community outreach, is facilitating uptake of practice change.

Carbon management in the land sector is implemented through soil and vegetation management, and a wide range of programs encourage carbon storage. The Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulator provides incentives for Australian businesses, farmers and landholders to adopt new practices to reduce Australia’s emissions. States and territories are starting to implement their own schemes with a focus on co benefits of restoring landscape function.

The significant increase in biosecurity effort to prevent or manage border incursions is helping stem the tide of new introductions of highly invasive species. But there remains a substantial cumulative burden of introduced and invasive species likely to become even more impactful and threaten natural capital values with altered climate regimes.