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.

References

K

Kearney SG, Adams VM, Fuller RA, Possingham HP & Watson JEM (2020). Estimating the benefit of well-managed protected areas for threatened species conservation. Oryx 54(2):276–284.

Kearney SG, Carwardine J, Reside AE, Fisher DO, Maron M, Doherty TS, Legge S, Silcock J, Woinarski JCZ, Garnett ST, Wintle BA & Watson JEM (2019). The threats to Australia’s imperilled species and implications for a national conservation response. Pacific Conservation Biology 25(3):231–244.

Keith DA (ed) (2017). Australian vegetation, 3rd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Keith DA, Rodríguez JP, Rodríguez-Clark KM, Nicholson E, Aapala K, Alonso A et al. (2013). Scientific foundations for an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems. PLoS ONE 8(5):e62111.

Keith H, Vardon M, Stein J, Stein J & Lindenmayer D (2017). Experimental ecosystem accounts for the Central Highlands of Victoria: final report, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Australian Government National Environmental Science Program, Melbourne.

Kemp J, McCowage M & Wang F (2021). Towards net zero: implications for Australia of energy policies in east Asia, Bulletin – September 2021. Global Economy, Reserve Bank of Australia, Canberra.

Kennedy CM, Oakleaf JR, Theobald DM, Baruch-Mordo S & Kiesecker J (2019). Managing the middle: a shift in conservation priorities based on the global human modification gradient. Global Change Biology 25(3):811–826.

Kidd D, Searle R, Grundy M, McBratney A, Robinson N, O’Brien L et al. (2020). Operationalising digital soil mapping – lessons from Australia. Geoderma Regional 23:e00335.

Kilvert N (2019). This is how most bushfires in Australia start, and how we know, ABC Science News Australia, Canberra, https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-11-20/bushfire-ignition-source-how-we-know/11701132.

King M, Smith A & Gracey M (2009). Indigenous health part 2: the underlying causes of the health gap. The Lancet 374(9683):76–85.

Kiros M, Andualem H, Kiros T, Hailemichael W, Getu S, Geteneh A, Alemu D & Abegaz WE (2020). COVID-19 pandemic: current knowledge about the role of pets and other animals in disease transmission. Virology Journal 17(1):143.

Kirschbaum MUF, Eamus D, Gifford RM, Roxburgh SH & Sands PJ (2001). Definitions of some ecological terms commonly used in carbon accounting. In: Net Ecosystem Exchange CRC Workshop, Canberra, 18–20 April 2001, CRC for Greenhouse Accounting, 2–5.

Koci J, Wilkinson SN, Hawdon AA, Kinsey-Henderson AE, Bartley R & Goodwin NR (2021). Rehabilitation effects on gully sediment yields and vegetation in a savanna rangeland. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 46(5):1007–1025.

KPMG (2021). Building resilience in local communities: the wellbeing benefits of participating in Landcare, Landcare Australia, Sydney.