The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has released the latest State of the Environment report (SoE 2021) setting out its assessment of the condition of Australia’s environment.
Claiming the report is independent, comprehensive and evidence-based, the Department said it had been co-authored by some of Australia’s most respected environmental scientists and experts, led by a group of authors who brought their expertise and perspectives to the report.
“SoE 2021 covers the current state, pressures, impacts, management, and outlook for 12 environmental themes,” the Department said.
The 12 themes include Air quality, Antarctica, Biodiversity, Climate, Coasts, Extreme events, Heritage, Indigenous, Inland water, Land, Marine and Urban.
It said that for the first time since national SoE reporting began in 1996 an Indigenous co-authorship model was used to ensure Indigenous knowledge, values and perspectives were incorporated in the assessment of the environment and used to inform decision making for better environmental outcomes.
“It highlights the importance that traditional knowledge has played in caring for Country in Australia for tens of thousands of years and will continue to play in the future,” the Department said.
“SoE 2021 was also developed with the assistance of non-Government representatives who form a User Reference Group,” it said.
“This ensures it meets the needs of those who will use it most in their decision making.”
The Department said the purpose of the State of the Environment report was to provide a strategic view to shape policy and action; engage with users to influence behaviour; and assist with assessing our interventions as stewards for the Australian environment using the principles of collaborative partnerships to combine science, traditional and local knowledge.
It said the state of the Australian environment was reviewed every five years, covering the Australian continent, surrounding seas and Australia’s external territories.
“Some States and Territories produce SoE reports,” it said,
“We are working with the States and Territories to improve our linking of outcome-based indicators to make it easier to see what is going on across the nation and at regional levels.
“Regional-scale reporting also occurs in many areas throughout Australia,” the Department said.
The SoE report can be found on the DCCEEW website at this PS News link.
