Photos: Crab – Parks Australia (2015); scale insect – Parks Australia (2021a); wasp – Parks Australia (2015), Ong et al. (2019), Parks Australia (2021c)
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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.
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Showing results 31 - 40 of 40
Figure 31 Clockwise from top left: red crab; scale insect; parasitic wasp
Figure 32 Dust monitoring station, Wentworth
Photo: John Barker and the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
Figure 33 O’Kanes Swamp, Victoria, before and after watering
Figure 34 Australian Government funding for environmental objectives
CERF = Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities; NERP = National Environmental Research Program; NESP = National Environmental Science Program; NHT = Natural Heritage Trust; NLP = National Landcare Program; NRM = natural resource management
Note: Excludes funding for Antarctica, which is funded under a different objective; energy funding, which has since been transferred to a different portfolio; and the core funding for meteorology, given that its core function is to support non-environmental objectives of society (noting that it does also support Australia’s research effort in climate).
Figure 35 Monitoring locations for TERN and IMOS, overlaid on species record density by region from the ALA, 2016–20
ALA = Atlas of Living Australia; IBRA = Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia; IMCRA = Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia; IMOS = Integrated Marine Observing System; km2 = square kilometre; TERN = Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
Source: Based on an image from the EcoAssets project using data from TERN, the ALA and IMOS.
Figure 36 Outcomes from 2-way monitoring of threatened species on Indigenous land
Figure 37 The DigiVol platform allows anyone with access to a computer and the internet to contribute to science
Photo: Australian Museum
Figure 38 Links between drivers, pressures, the environment, human wellbeing, outlook and management
Table 1 Some results against species trajectory targets of the Threatened Species Strategy 2015–20
|
5-year target |
Overall result |
Summary |
|---|---|---|
|
Species trajectory targets |
||
|
20 priority birds have improved trajectories |
Not met |
21 bird species were listed as priority species. Over the strategy period:
Following the 2019–20 bushfires, 3 of the 21 priority bird species –regent honeyeater, eastern bristlebird and western ground parrot – were identified as priorities for urgent management intervention by the Wildlife and Threatened Species Bushfire Recovery Expert Panel. These species are now receiving targeted support for recovery |
|
20 priority mammals have improved trajectories |
Not met |
20 mammal species were listed as priority species. Over the strategy period:
On-ground recovery actions to protect Australia’s mammals include monitoring, habitat restoration, and reducing the impact of predators such as feral cats and red foxes. Where threats in the wild are too great for threatened mammals to persevere, establishing ex situ populations in predator-free safe havens has been supported through funding for captive breeding and translocation programs |
|
30 priority plant species have improved trajectories |
Not met |
30 plant species were listed as priority species. Over the strategy period:
Increasing monitoring efforts over 2015–20 led to discoveries of new populations for some plants, revealing them to be more common than originally assessed (e.g. Fitzgerald’s mulla mulla, which has subsequently been delisted under the EPBC Act, and the purple wattle). For 4 of the 30 priority plant species – Banksia vincentia, blue-top sun-orchid, silver daisy bush and scaly-leaved featherflower – considerable doubts were raised about their taxonomic validity over the course of the strategy |
|
100% of Australia’s known threatened plant species are stored in one or more of Australia’s conservation seed banks |
Not met |
Approximately 67% of Australia’s listed threatened plant species (930 of 1,373 species) are now stored in conservation seed banks. Recent research suggests that some of the remaining species may not be amenable to traditional seed-banking methods. Although some threatened species are represented by multiple collections of suitable size, many species are represented by collections of fewer than 500 seeds |
|
Recovery actions are underway for at least 50 plants |
Met |
Recovery actions are underway for all 30 targeted plant species under the strategy. The 5-year report notes that hundreds of other listed plant species also have recovery actions underway through a range of government and nongovernment programs and initiatives |
|
Recovery actions are underway for at least 60 threatened ecological communities |
Met |
Recovery actions are underway for more than 60 threatened ecological communities via programs such as 20 Million Trees (at least 54 sites), Regional Land Partnerships (32 different communities) and bushfire recovery programs (16 priority threatened ecological communities) |
Source: Australian Government (2015)
Table 2 Overview of major national environmental assessment, monitoring and data infrastructure investment through NCRIS since 2013
|
Year |
NCRIS project |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Atlas of Living Australia |
Bioplatforms Australia |
Integrated Marine Observing System |
Marine National Facility |
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network |
|
|
2013–14 |
2,536,556 |
13,070,473 |
11,513,351 |
26,649,000 |
3,596,340 |
|
2014–15 |
3,228,348 |
8,258,442 |
6,859,017 |
29,107,000 |
4,577,160 |
|
2015–16 |
4,603,000 |
25,380,203 |
13,963,000 |
30,439,000 |
5,925,000 |
|
2016–17 |
4,696,000 |
4,114,200 |
15,573,697 |
31,690,000 |
6,044,000 |
|
2017–18 |
5,293,400 |
45,930,745 |
27,512,792 |
32,760,000 |
9,895,100 |
|
2018–19 |
4,933,735 |
19,817,161 |
17,667,424 |
40,883,000 |
6,954,178 |
|
2019–20 |
5,057,078 |
20,470,066 |
19,534,172 |
43,773,000 |
6,508,727 |
|
2020–21 |
5,696,889 |
26,849,484 |
20,622,396 |
41,495,000 |
8,326,928 |
|
2021–22 |
6,387,457 |
16,855,472 |
21,161,885 |
42,403,000 |
8,482,665 |
|
2022–23 |
7,864,437 |
34,867,085 |
24,124,615 |
42,752,224 |
12,962,691 |
|
Total investment |
50,296,900 |
215,613,331 |
178,532,349 |
361,951,224 |
73,272,789 |
NCRIS = National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
Note: This does not include Australian Research Data Commons funding, which also includes environmentally focused data initiatives such as the Biodiversity and Climate Change Virtual Laboratory, EcoCommons and many shorter-term initiatives linked to NCRIS.