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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 11 Status of Australian sharks, rays and chimaeras
Figure 12 Interannual variability and long-term trend in water quality parameters as estimated from satellites for North-west, North, Coral Sea, Temperate East, South-east and South-west marine regions
Series of graphs showing that since 2020 the trend has been down or flat for secchi disk depth and total suspended solids, suggesting more transparent water. Chlorophyll has increased in the south, and is unchanged elsewhere.

m =metre; mg/m3 =milligram per cubic metre; TSS = total suspended solids

Notes:

  1. Secchi disk depth is an indicator of water transparency that is a function of dissolved and particulate material in the water column. TSS comprise both pigmented and nonpigmented particles, and chlorophyll-a concentration represents pigmented particles. Black line indicates no significant trend; blue line indicates significant negative trend; red line indicates significant positive trend (P < 0.05). Points represent individual measurements. Units for y axes are given in column headings.
  2. See details for the assessment in Doblin et al. (2021).
For more information, go toMarine ecosystem processes
Figure 13 (a) Annual mean net primary productivity and (b) annual mean phytoplankton biomass, with (c) the trend in net primary productivity and (d) phytoplankton biomass, 1997–2020
Four maps showing that primary productivity and plankton biomass are highest around Tasmania and some of the tropical north coast. Since 1997, productivity of both has increased in the south, but fallen in some northern waters.

C = carbon; chl-a = chlorophyll-a; g/m2/d = gram per square metre per day; g/m2/yr = gram per square metre per year; mg/m3 = milligram per cubic metre; mg/m3/yr = milligram per cubic metre per year; NPP = net primary productivity

Source: van Ruth & Matear (2021)

For more information, go toMarine ecosystem processes
Figure 14 Conceptual model of how fish control macroalgal biomass on coral reefs, unimpacted and tropicalised temperate reefs
Figure 15 Species representation and spatial distribution of observed range-shifting species across Australia
Figure 16 Estimated decadal average change in (a) pH and (b) aragonite saturation state of sea water between 1880–89 and 2010–19
Figure 17 Mean (a) monthly kinetic energy in relation to ENSO phase, (b) overall kinetic energy and (c) eddy kinetic energy of currents off the east and west coasts of Australia, 1993–2019
Line graphs showing that the eddy kinetic energy cycles up and down over time.

ACC = Antarctic Circumpolar Current; cm2/s2 = centimetres squared per second squared; cSICC = central South Indian Counter Current; EAC = East Australian Current; EAC-E = East Australian Current Extension; ENSO = El Niño–Southern Oscillation; HC = Hiri Current; HLC = Holloway Current; ITF = Indonesian Throughflow; LC = Leeuwin Current; NECC = North Equatorial Counter Current; NVJ = North Vanuatu Jet; SAC = South Australian Current; SEC = South Equatorial Current; ZC = Zeehan Current

Notes:

  1. The y axis for the timeseries for the eastern box has been shifted by +300 cm2/s2 to separate the 2 timeseries as shown by the scale on the right.
  2. White background denotes neutral ENSO phase.
  3. Dashed boxes in (c) denote the areas where means were calculated.

Source: Adapted from Pattiaratchi & Siji (2020)

For more information, go toClimate and climate change
Figure 18 Example marine heatwaves that occurred in (a) 2015–16 in the Tasman Sea and (b) 2016 in northern Australia
Figure 19 Total income from various marine activities that contribute to the blue economy, 2017–18
Figure 20 Australian fisheries and aquaculture production value, 1999–2000 to 2024–25 (projected)