3 National Priorities

Australia State of the Environment Report areas of assessment

The areas of assessment are sectioned out and listed below.

Air Quality

Air quality is affected by our actions and environment. Our air quality is reduced when pollutants are released into the atmosphere, and climate change is increasing the risks to air quality. This is impacting the health and wellbeing of Australians in both rural and urban areas. Air pollutants include particles and gases. Some of these occur naturally, but many are from human sources, including:

• Smoke from wood heaters
• Dust from dry earth and land clearing
• Vehicle exhaust
• Industry smoke, mining and heavy metals

These pollutants can form more hazardous substances when they combine with other chemicals and molecules in our atmosphere. We can all take action to help improve our air quality, for the benefit of our environment, health and wellbeing. Some strategies include:

• Invest in low-emissions technology such as electric vehicles
• Increase monitoring to collect air quality data in more locations
• Replace wood heaters with low-emissions alternatives, such as electric heating

Antarctica

Antarctica supports valuable environments in both Australia and the Antarctic region. Protecting Antarctica and the Southern Ocean is vital for ensuring a sustainable future for all Australians. Iconic Antarctic wildlife, globally important ecosystems and valuable Australia marine industries such as fishing are being affected by changes in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. For example:

• Oceans are warming and conditions are becoming more variable. This means Baleen whales and birds that migrate between Australia, and the Antarctic may find less predictable feeding areas. And migration and distribution patterns may change for certain Antarctic animals.
• Weather patterns in the Southern Ocean are changing. This means that parts of southern Australia are drying, and weather variability is changing. And sea ice cover is changing, altering animal habitats.
• Oceans are acidifying. This means that Australia’s biodiversity and marine industries are affected by changes in the Southern Ocean. And Antarctic animals with chalky skeletons or shells have less suitable conditions to live and grow.

We need to collaborate at national and international levels to improve our understanding of how changes in the Antarctic region affect our environment. Taking actions to limit the impacts of human activities, including climate change, on the Antarctic region will help protect this important area.

Biodiversity

Australia’s biodiversity is rich and unique – we have a lot to protect. Our biodiversity is essential for human survival, wellbeing and economic prosperity. However, we have only named and classified an estimated 30% of our species – there is so much more to learn.
Australia’s estimated number of specific in 2020, there are:

• 320,500 invertebrate species
• 25,000 vascular plant species
• 243 frog species
• More than 50,000 fungi species
• 5,000 nonvascular plant species
• 830 bird species
• 390 mammal species
• 950 reptile species
• 160,000 single-celled species
• 5,000 fish species

We have recorded 1000 endemic species as becoming extinct since 1788. With so much more unknown, it’s likely that there are many more. The known extinctions since 1788 include:

• 38 vascular plant species
• 34 mammal species
• 10 invertebrate species
• 9 bird species
• 3 reptile species
• 4 frog species
• 1 fish species
• 1 single-celled species

We can help prevent future extinctions by better understanding our unique species and limiting the pressures they face.

Climate

Climate change is profoundly affecting our environment and society. Land and ocean temperatures are increasing, and rainfall patterns are changing. Land and ocean temperatures are increasing, and rainfall patterns are changing. Most of the temperature increase has occurred since the 1950s – largely driven by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Which has meant:

• More risks to air quality
• Warming oceans and mass coral bleaching events
• Higher rates of biodiversity loss and species extinctions
• Impacts on health and wellbeing
• Changes to extreme events such as flooding, drought and fire weather
• Traditional Owners knowledge and cultural practices are at risk

Working together can help us solve climate problems. Traditional Owners’ continuing connection to Country provides a deep understanding of climate knowledge for all. Better outcomes for our environment and for all people will be achieved when western science and traditional knowledge systems are combined.

Coasts

Seal level rise is a major pressure on our coasts. Climate change is already causing seal levels to rise around Australia. With most of our population living within 50 kilometres of the coast, this will have profound impacts on people and coastal environments. By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise by more than a meter in parts of Australia. This will cause:

• Loss of Country. Limited access to culturally important areas such as curial grounds, middens sites and gathering places
• Loss of heritage. Damage to and loss of areas of cultural, social and environmental importance
• Damage to estuaries. Loss of buffer zones that protect land from the impacts of tides and erosion
• Damage to infrastructure. Estimated damage of up to $226 billion to infrastructure, including homes and essential services
• Changing shorelines. Loss of beach habitats and nesting sites for coastal species such as shorebirds and turtles

We can protect our coasts by reducing carbon emissions to limit further climate change and restoring coastal ecosystems that protect us from the impacts of storms and sea level rise.

Extreme events

Extreme weather patterns are changing. Our environment needs time and support to respond to extreme events, such as bushfires and floods. But extreme weather patterns are changing. The combined impact of more frequent or intense events can damage our environment, including the places we live. These include:

• Changes in frequencies. For example, hot days and heatwaves are becoming more frequent, affecting both land and marine environments, and our health and wellbeing
• Changes in intensity. For example, rainfall events are becoming less frequent but more intense. This causes more floods, less groundwater recharge and more damage to environments and properties
• Changes in distribution. For example, fire seasons are longer and bushfires are affecting more areas. This means less time is available for prescribed burns, leading to fires in areas that are not adapted to recover, such as urban areas and rainforests.

Traditional knowledge of Country and how it responds to change can help us shift to an adaptive management approach to help mitigate future extreme events. Working together to manage and restore our environment will improve its resilience to extreme weather events.

Heritage

Our heritage is not consistently protected. Our heritage tells the story of Australia, from vibrant Indigenous heritage to outstanding landscapes and historical sites. However, the ways we protect heritage often don’t align, and some gaps remain, leaving our heritage at risk from pressures. We can help safeguard our heritage by taking actions to develop and align heritage laws, policies and planning. These include:

• Improve statutory planning and industry regulation
• Take a rights-based approach to Indigenous heritage management
• Fill the legislative gaps in the protection of heritage
• Use adaptive management and planning to limit key pressures such as climate change
• Improve the identification and listing of heritage

Being proactive in protecting our heritage before it is impacted by pressures will benefit all Australians and our environment.

Indigenous

Empowering Indigenous people is vital to protecting Country. The impacts of colonisation continue to raise challenges for Indigenous people in exercising their stewardship of Country. Working together to improve the health of Indigenous communities and the environment will support the deep interconnection between the health of Country and the health of Indigenous people. This include:

• Indigenous voices in decision-making. Indigenous representation at all levels of policy and decision-making
• Further empowerment of Indigenous people. Decisions made by communities, management actions based on Indigenous values and enabling Indigenous people to care for Country.
• Indigenous leadership, governance and partnerships. Indigenous-led and governed caring for Country through holistic and long-term programs, with partnerships guided by Indigenous communities and values.
• Indigenous knowledge rights and practice management. Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights and data sovereignty to empower Indigenous people

Australia can benefit greatly from taking a holistic and culturally grounded approach to managing our environment and growing Indigenous ways of doing, knowing and knowledge sharing.

Inland water

Water management isn’t just for times of drought and flood. Water sustains life – it is vital for our environment, communities, economy and culture. Changing how we think about, value and manage this resource can help ensure that it is shared equitably among all that depend on it. Australia’s environment is adapted to cycles of rainfall and drying. But a lot has changed in recent times. The quantity and quality of our freshwater resources continues to be challenged, for example:

• Run-off from land use reduces water quality – sometimes causing hazardous algal blooms and fish deaths.
• Unsustainable water use reduces the amount of water available for environmental, cultural and social needs.
• Climate change affects the frequency and severity of drought conditions.

We can protect our water resources by managing them proactively, balancing competing interests, involving Indigenous people in management and considering the effects of climate change.

Land

Protecting land resources is essential for our future. Our land – soil, water, biodiversity and natural systems – sustains plants and animals, purifies our water, and buffers the extremes of weather and climate. As land uses expand and intensify, we can work together to sustainably manage the land resources and nature that we need to live and thrive. Better coordination among governments, business and communities can help protect and restore out land, for example:

• Sustainable land use
• Indigenous land management
• Stewardship to restore and sustain resilient landscapes
• Public and private investment in solutions

Protecting and restoring our land will bring environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits.

Marine

Sustainably growing our blue economy. Australia’s marine environment supports diverse and valuable activities, resources and industries that together make up our blue economy. Our blue economy is growing 2-3 times faster than the rest of Australia’s GDP – effective management of the marine environment is needed to sustain this growth, and support communities and Traditional Custodians of sea Country.
To make sure our marine environment is managed sustainably and continues to support us, we need to take a holistic, adaptive and integrated approach to monitoring and management, this includes:

• Connecting and coordinating management across sectors, jurisdictions, land and sea
• Addressing key pressures including climate change, local impacts such as pollution, and cumulative effects
• Ongoing leadership and accountability for actions for best-practice management of our oceans
• Better monitoring of the health of, and changes in, marine environments, and dependent communities and industries
• Empowering Indigenous-led management, and incorporating Traditional Owner knowledge into marine management and stewardship

This integrated approach will support Australia’s international commitment to sustainably manage 100% of its ocean area under a sustainable ocean plan by 2025.

Urban

Urban and natural environments are strongly connected. Urban environments are places where built structures and human activities interact with nature. Buildings, infrastructure and human activities affect urban areas and the natural environments within them, and beyond.

• Impacts on urban areas affect the health and wellbeing of people, including increased urban heat and congestion
• And impacts from urban areas can expand to surrounding areas and the wider environment, including pollution and waste, and unsustainable use of resources such as water and energy

Managing the interactions between urban areas and wider environments can help limit negative impacts and protect nature. Integrated management that pays attention to both the built and natural environments can create resilient urban environments that are smarter, greener, cleaner and more equitable for all Australians.

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Activity: Explore another strategy that supports national priorities

This exercise invites readers to drag and drop 7 different terms to complete the 7 recommendations to support sustainable oceans and coasts across Australia from the ‘Sustainable Oceans and Coasts National Strategy 2021-2030’. The answers are as follows:

1. Empower Indigenous leadership
2. Build resilient communities
3. Decarbonise the blue economy
4. Collaborative governance
5. Make informed decisions
6. Support stewardship
7. Prioritise diverse values

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