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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.

Graphs, maps and tables

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Figure 83 (a) Digital Earth Australia land cover in Australia (2015), classified for use in the National Land Account. (b) Detail for Alligator Rivers, Kakadu National Park. (c) Detail for Gunbower-Koondrook-Perricoota Forest Icon Site
Map showing that cultivated areas are concentrated in the population and farming regions, like the Western Australian wheat belt and the Riverina.

Notes:

  1. Definitions of land cover classes are given in ABS (2021e).
  2. See case study: Ecosystem accounting in a protected area

Sources: DEA land cover (Landsat) (2021); map projection: Australian Albers GDA94 (ICSM n.d.)

For more information, go toResources
Figure 28 Changes in categories of land-use intensity between 2010–11 and 2015–16, showing (a) area of change and (b) percentage, by state and territory
Bar graphs showing that Queensland and South Australia have seen the most land go from relatively natural to extensive production (over half a million hectares each), and New South Wales has seen the most land go from relatively natural to intensive produ

Notes:

  1. Categories of land-use intensity are defined as follows (conversions from water not shown; deintensification conversions not shown):

Relatively natural uses: nature conservation, managed resource protection, other minimal use

Extensive production uses: grazing native vegetation, production native forests

Intensive production uses: grazing modified pastures, plantation forests, dryland cropping, dryland horticulture, irrigated pastures, irrigated cropping, irrigated horticulture

Urban and other intensive uses: urban intensive uses, intensive horticulture and animal production, rural residential and farm infrastructure, mining and waste

  1. Definitions for major types of land use are given in ABS (2021e), and are based on the Australian Land Use and Management Classification, v8 (ABARES 2016).

Source: Adapted from Tables 1.11–1.18 (ABS 2021e); note that the data are regarded as preliminary and subject to change.

For more information, go toLand use
Figure 38 Annual losses in woody vegetation in New South Wales, for agriculture, forestry and infrastructure land uses, 2009–19
Bar graph showing that in New South Wales forestry clearing was the leading cause of vegetation loss until 2016, when it peaked at over 30 thousand hectares, after which it has been similar to agriculture, which has increased steadily since 2009. Infrastr

Notes:

  1. Forestry clearing includes plantation as well as native forest harvest, and agricultural clearing may also include clearing of non-native woody weeds and replacement of woody horticulture. Forest re-establishment usually occurs in areas subjected to forest harvesting. Reduction in woody vegetation cover due to fire is usually temporary and therefore not included. See the results spreadsheet cited in DPIE (2021a) for notes on data.
  2. New South Wales reports annual loss of woody vegetation only; methods for mapping regrowing vegetation are under development.

Source: Figure 6 in DPIE (2021a)

For more information, go toIndustry
Figure 53 Extent of Indigenous land trust or authority land on various tenures in Australia (Level 4), 2015–16
Bar graph showing that Freehold is by far the largest category, followed by other crown purposes and other lease,

Notes:

  1. Level 4 distinguishes land with an Indigenous land grant, either Crown land held on behalf of, or freehold land owned by, Traditional Owner groups. Level 4 does not include native title, which applies alongside tenure.
  2. Percentages are of the extent of Aboriginal land trust or authority land on various tenures.

Source: ABARES (2021b)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 84 The 4 themes of the land accounts
Figure 52 Extent of land tenure in Australia (Level 3), 2010–11 and 2015–16
Graph showing that freehold and pastoral term lease are the biggest categories, followed by other crown land, pastoral perpetual lease and nature conservation reserve.

Notes:

  1. Definitions of land tenure classes are given in ABARES (2021b).
  2. Level 3 further distinguishes ‘Crown land’ in the Level 2 classification, defining ‘leasehold’ type or ‘Crown purposes’ type based on term and purpose. ‘Leasehold’ types are split into ‘freeholding lease’, ‘pastoral perpetual lease’, ‘other perpetual lease’, ‘pastoral term lease’, ‘other term lease’ and ‘other lease’. ‘Crown purposes’ types are split into ‘nature conservation reserve’, ‘multiple-use public forest’ and ‘other Crown purposes’.

Source: ABARES (2021b)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 50 Most prevalent introduction pathways used by invasive insects
Figure 51 Location and extent of land tenure in Australia (Level 4), 2015–16
Map showing that pastoral leases occupy a lot of western Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, freehold land occupies the most populated areas and the most productive cropping areas, and there is a band of Indigenous freehold in western South

Notes:

  1. Definitions of land tenure classes are given in ABARES (2021b).
  2. Level 4 distinguishes land with an Indigenous land grant, either Crown land held on behalf of, or freehold land owned by, Traditional Owner groups. Level 4 does not include native title, which applies alongside tenure. Indigenous classes are specified under Indigenous land grant instruments.
  3. Percentages are of the total land area in that class.
  4. See case study: The National Land Account, experimental estimates (2011–16).

Source: ABARES (2021b)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 68 Site monitoring of water quality has used a controlled experimental design to compare water quality from rehabilitated and untreated gullies using automated monitoring equipment
Figure 61 Native title determinations across Australia’s land and seas, as of 16 June 2021