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Introduction

We should be cautious when generalising about the condition of Australia’s biodiversity, because it includes a huge variety of micro-organisms, fungi, plants, and animals (Table 1), their genes and the ecosystems that they are part of. While some species tend to decline due to the activities of humans, others benefit and even thrive in human-modified environments. Increases or declines outside the bounds of natural fluctuations are of concern, and it is difficult to establish those bounds without long-term ecological research. Conclusions based on a few conspicuous species can lead to misleading conclusions.

Australia’s biodiversity reflects 300 million years of evolution separated from the rest of the world, 60 000 years of human occupation, and the impacts and achievements of the past 200 years (Keating and Harle 2004). The unique biodiversity of this ancient continent is important for at least four reasons. Firstly, biodiversity, together with non-living components of ecosystems such as soil and water, generates the processes and delivers the services that enable humans and all higher life forms to exist. Secondly, ethical principles dictate that all species have a right to exist, and that future generations have the right to enjoy a similar quality of life and choices as present generations. Thirdly, Australians gain aesthetic and cultural benefits, such as a sense of place and identity and spiritual connections, from landscapes rich in biodiversity (see Tacey 1995). Fourthly, biodiversity and its role in functioning ecosystems support much of Australia’s economic prosperity directly and indirectly. One example is the expenditure on land-based tourism and recreation , with links to biodiversity at a range of scales.

Source: Chapman (in press)

Monitoring and reporting on biodiversity-state of the environment reporting

Australia is committed to biodiversity conservation as a signatory of the 1992 International Convention on Biodiversity. It is also committed to independent state of the environment reporting as specified by legislation pursuant to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

Managing and reporting on biodiversity requires knowledge of its roles, value and importance; its condition; the pressures on it; changes resulting from pressures; and the appropriateness and effectiveness of policy and management responses. Australia’s capacity to comprehensively make these assessments remains poor, but there is ample evidence of major systemic pressures on biodiversity causing undesirable and sometimes dire impacts. The 1996 state of the environment report (SoE1996) outlined more than 50 issues of concern for biodiversity conservation (Saunders at al. 1996). The 2001 biodiversity theme report used 65 environmental indicators to define the nature of environmental issues, identify solutions, and track progress towards these goals (Williams et al 2001). The 2006 assessment has been undertaken with reference to a smaller set of broad indicators that incorporate many aspects of the earlier indicators. Data and some interpretation relating to these indicators have been provided through an Internet data reporting system .

The SoE 2001 biodiversity theme report (Williams et al 2001, p. 22) observed:

In order to track these changes, a monitoring program is essential where repeated sets of measurements are compared with a benchmark set or condition. For SoE reporting, these benchmarks must enable the effects of current programmes and policies and of land/resource management activities to be assessed in relation to their biodiversity outcomes.

Such an ecological monitoring programme still does not exist. In its absence, and with indicators changing from one state of the environment report to the next, it is not possible to draw firm conclusions about changes in the state of biodiversity from one reporting period to the next. Monitoring should not, however, be considered an end in itself. Its role is in achieving goals such as better management decisions, early warning, progress against targets and milestones, learning, and community education. Ideally, monitoring of biodiversity should be incorporated into an experimental learning framework that tells us how different strategies perform and leads to better solutions (Possingham 2000; Possingham at al. 2001).

The pressure, state, response model

This report is structured around the three elements of state of the environment reporting: pressures on biodiversity, the impacts of those pressures on the state of biodiversity, and responses to the pressures. For clarity, and in response to reviewer’s comments, most discussion of responses is in a separate section but pressure-specific responses are also referred to in the relevant subsection of ‘Pressures’.

Information used in this report

In this report, a range of information relating to condition and trends in Australian biodiversity is considered, especially information that has become available since the 1996 SoE report and the 2001 SoE biodiversity theme report (Saunders at al. 1996; Williams at al. 2001). Most of that information is summarised in the data reporting system  and only selected highlights are reported in detail in this commentary. One of the sources of information in the period since SoE2001 has been the Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment (NLWRA 2002), which is the most comprehensive national collation and interpretation of information undertaken to date. Its conclusions were drawn after SoE2001 was completed. Most of the other information that has become available since SoE2001 is of limited geographic spread or focuses on a limited range of issues.

Summary of indicator trends

Table 2 summarises the indicators used and the key issues for biodiversity. This commentary does not attempt to comment in detail on each indicator. The key pressures are similar to those identified in earlier reports, although the impact of some are likely to decrease due to policy responses (for example, vegetation clearing controls being introduced and implemented in most states and territories), while pressures of others have increased (for example, the number or extent of invasive species), and some are now recognised as more important than previously thought (for example, climate change). As explained above, detailed conclusions about changes in most indicators between state of the environment reporting periods are not possible. Similarly, conclusions about the relative importance of individual pressures (apart from identifying the major group of pressures discussed above) are not warranted because their importance can vary between locations and because the pressures are interrelated and need to be addressed together rather than separately.

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