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

E

EcoAssets (2021). Occurrence records for terrestrial alien species introduced to Australia for the period 1901–2020, aggregated by the Atlas of Living Australia from multiple sources, including Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network survey and monitoring data, as of September 2021, EcoAssets project, Atlas of Living Australia, Canberra.

EDF (Environmental Defense Fund) (2018). Carbon prices under carbon market scenarios consistent with the Paris Agreement: implications for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), EDF, New York.

Edgar G, Stuart-Smith R, Willis T, Kininmonth S, Baker S, Banks S et al. (2014). Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features. Nature 506:216–220.

Edgar G, Ward T & Stuart‐Smith R (2018). Rapid declines across Australian fishery stocks indicate global sustainability targets will not be achieved without an expanded network of ‘no-fishing’ reserves. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 28(6):1337–1350.

Eifes C, Livingstone S, Lane A, Lukosche V, Sanders K, Courtney A et al. (2013). Fascinating and forgotten: the conservation status of marine elapid snakes. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 8:37–52.

Ens E, Daniels C, Nelson E, Roy J & Dixon P (2016). Creating multi-functional landscapes: using exclusion fences to frame feral ungulate management preferences in remote Aboriginal-owned northern Australia. Biological Conservation 197:235–246.

Ens E, Fisher J & Costello O (eds) (2015). Global community booklet: Indigenous people and invasive species perceptions, management, challenges and uses, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Ecosystems and Invasive Species Thematic Group, Sydney.

Ens E, Walsh F & Clarke P (2017). Aboriginal people and Australia’s vegetation: past and current interactions. In: Keith D (ed), Australian vegetation, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 89–112.

Environment and Invasives Committee (2018). Australian list of threat categories of nonindigenous vertebrates, Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra.

Environment and Invasives Committee (2019). National invasive ant biosecurity plan 2018–2028, Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Canberra.

ESCC Hub (Earth Systems and Climate Change Hub) (2021). National First Peoples Gathering on Climate Change 2021, ESCC Hub, Australian Government National Environmental Science Program, Australia, https://nespclimate.com.au/nfpgcc/.

Evans K & Harcourt R (2021). SoE 2021 marine expert assessment: state and trend – whales, Australian Ocean Data Network, Hobart.

Evans K & Hobday A (2021). SoE 2021 marine expert assessment: pressure – climate and system variability, Australian Ocean Data Network, Hobart.

Evans K & Raudino H (2021). SoE 2021 marine expert assessment: state and trend – dolphins and porpoises, Australian Ocean Data Network, Hobart.

Evans K, Erbe C, Giltrap D, Lamont C, Peel D & Tropman K (2021c). SoE 2021 marine expert assessment: pressure – anthropogenic noise, Australian Ocean Data Network, Hobart.

Evans K, Lamont C & Peach K (2021a). SoE 2021 marine expert assessment: pressure – minerals, oil and gas extraction and production, Australian Ocean Data Network, Hobart.

Evans K, Lamont C & Peach K (2021b). SoE 2021 marine expert assessment: management effectiveness – minerals, oil and gas extraction and production, Australian Ocean Data Network, Hobart.

Evans R, Wilson S, Fisher R, Ryan N, Babcock R, Blakeway D, Bond T, Dorji P, Dufois F, Fearns P, Lowe R, Stoddart J & Thomson D (2020). Early recovery dynamics of turbid coral reefs after recurring bleaching events. Journal of Environmental Management 268:110666.