Biodiversity Theme Report

Australia State of the Environment Report 2001 (Theme Report)
Prepared by: Dr Jann Williams, RMIT University, Authors
Published by CSIRO on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2001
ISBN 0 643 06749 3

Tables

Table 1 - Comparative socioeconomic data for the 17 megadiverse nations
Table 2 - Indigenous words for arid zone systems and taxa
Table 3 - The 11 key issues identified in SoE (1996) as threats to biodiversity
Table 4 - Qualitative comparison of status and trends for biodiversity between SoE (1996) and the 2001 Report
Table 5 - Biodiversity indicators for national State of Environment reporting
Table 6 - The ANZECC core biodiversity indicators and their links to National State of Environment indicators
Table 7 - Key biodiversity laws, policy initiatives and statutes for Australian jurisdictions
Table 8 - Commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of theEnvironment and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 from the Industry and Environmental Defenders Office (EDO)
Table 9 - Threats to Australian birds
Table 10 - Reservation status of regional ecosystems (REs) in Queensland subject to high rates of clearing and their degree of replication in protected areas of over 1000 ha
Table 11 -Overview of Australia's estuaries showing the percentage of estuaries in a range of categories, in each state and the Northern Territory
Table 12 - Status of mangrove forests in Australia
Table 13 - The state, pressure and response model associated with various environmental attributes of the Great Barrier Reef
Table 14 - Status of development of protected area management plans for selected Australian jurisdictions
Table 15 - Number of permits issued for the harvest of terrestrial flora, South Australia, 1999
Table 16 - Number of permits issued for the harvest of native fauna in the Australian Capital Territory from 1996 to 1999
Table 17 - Commercial harvest statistics for Brushtail Possums(Trichosurus vulpecula)in Tasmania, 1995 to 2000
Table 18 - Harvest statistics for the Short-tailed Shearwaters(Puffins tenuirostis)in Tasmania, 1995-1998
Table 19 - Harvest of farmed crocodiles(Crocodylus porosusandCrocodylus johnstoni)in the Northern Territory, 1993 to 1997
Table 20 - Harvest of native flora (number of stems) in Western Australia, 1993 to 1995 and 1999
Table 21 - Total harvest of native flora (millions of stems) in Western Australia, 1993 to 1999
Table 22 - Collections of the Australian Saltwater Crocodile(Crocodylus porosus)from the wild in Western Australia, by location of capture
Table 23 - Crocodiles processed under licence in Western Australia, 1991 to 1998
Table 24 - Commercial kangaroo harvest quotas in Australia in 1998
Table 25 -Kangaroos species killed under commercial harvest quotas across Australia in 1998
Table 26 - Population estimates for kangaroos within commercial harvest areas in 1998
Table 27 - Population estimates for kangaroos within commercial harvest areas in 1999
Table 28 - Most commonly recorded Australian exports of native plants and animals
Table 29 - Prosecutions and trials under theWildlife Protection Act 1982(Cwlth) for illegally importing/exporting wildlife, 1990 to 1999
Table 30 - Management programs approved under S10 of the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 (Cwlth)
Table 31 - Definitions of bycatch
Table 32 - Percentage of fisheries in Australia for which information is available on different components of their catch
Table 33 - Management plans for Australian fisheries (at June 1999)
Table 34 - Fire affected areas (FAA) for each IBRA region (version 4) for 1998 to 1999 and 1999 to 2000
Table 35 - Some potential changes resulting from global warming that have implications for biodiversity in Australia
Table 36 - Rates of migration for several European and North American taxa under past climate change, as estimated from fossil pollen records
Table 37 - The 20 most hazardous substances to the environment and humans, identified by the National Pollutant Inventory
Table 38 - Maximum acceptable concentrations of persistent organochlorines in crabs relative to ANZECC water quality guidelines
Table 39 - Animal species listed in the SoE report on exotic pests (Clarke et al. 2000)
Table 40 - The 20 Weeds of National Significance and their associated threats
Table 41 - The number of projects on GMOs current in June 1998 and June 1999 and the number of Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) responsible for them
Table 42 - Proposals for deliberate release of GMOs considered by the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee (GMAC) between 1981 and March 2000
Table 43 - The locations by state and territory of deliberate releases of GMOs in Australia to 30 June 1999
Table 44 - Genetically modified crop genera with related Australian native plant species
Table 45 - Genetic variation of some representative taxa reflecting the uneven availability of genetic data required for biodiversity monitoring Diversity values are averages calculated across all polymorphic loci.
Table 46 - The estimated total number and percentage of species described in Australia and the percentage of endemic species for various taxa
Table 47 - A global comparison of the number of freshwater fish species
Table 48 - A global comparison of the number of fish and coral species associated with coral reefs
Table 49 - Numbers of endemic plant species in 18 regions exhibiting high levels of plant species richness and endemism
Table 50 - Total number of endangered (EN), vulnerable (VU) and presumed extinct (PEX) species in 1993 and 2001
Table 51 - The number of recovery plans for species and ecological communities threatened with extinction
Table 52 - The amount of funding provided for the implementation of recovery plans under the (repealed) Endangered Species Act 1992 (Cwlth) compared with the amount specified in the plans for full implementation
Table 53 - Threatened species (listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999) for which there are ex situ programs in Australian zoos and botanical gardens to breed populations in captivity
Table 54 - Permits issued to pick or sell native flora in New South Wales, 1998 to1999
Table 55 - The dollar value of biodiversity: A selection of species of economic importance that are referred to in the text, excluding fish
Table 56 - Bird species that appear to have decreased their range between the Field Atlas (1977-1981) and the New Atlas (1998-2000) surveys
Table 57 - Threatened ecological communities listed in 2001, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Table 58 - The number of taxonomists working in Australia (in full-time units) in June 2000, and the number of new Australian taxa described between 1 July 1995 and 30 June 2000
Table 59 - The number of institutions undertaking taxonomic work in each state and territory of Australia
Table 60 - Australian Research Council Large Research Grants funding for taxonomic projects between 1997 and 2000
Table 61 - The eight sites recorded in the Ecological Society of Australia's database on long-term ecological research and monitoring sites that sample vertebrates, invertebrates and plants
Table 62 - National expenditure for biodiversity and landscape
Table 63 - Natural Heritage Trust funding, 1996 to 2002
Table 64 - Number and cost (in $000s) of projects funded under the Natural Heritage Trust and related Programs for each state and territory, 1996 to 2000
Table 65 - Total expenditure on Protected Areas by State and Territory, 1998 to 1999
Table 66 - Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission expenditure by activity
Table 67 - The percentage of local councils with an environmental officer
Table 68 - The proportion of local councils with an environmental conservation strategy
Table 69 - Ethical investment charter
Table 70 - IBRA Regions (version 4) and IPAP (Indigenous Protected Areas Program) projects
Table 71 - State Conservation Agency employment of Indigenous peoples
Table 72 - Principle international agreements relevant to biodiversity conservation in Australia