State of the Environment 2011 (SoE 2011)
State of the Environment 2011 Committee. Australia state of the environment 2011.
Independent report to
the Australian Government Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
Canberra: DSEWPaC, 2011.
8 Biodiversity
4.5 Assessing the effectiveness of biodiversity management
We have assessed components of management effectiveness in relation to each of the pressures on biodiversity identified in Section 3 (see Assessment summary 8.3). Managing these pressures separately is highly undesirable, because they are driven by similar factors and they interact with one another in complex ways. This is taken into account in the assessment summary by considering whether the policies and plans in place are achieving desired outcomes. The large number of half-circles in the two right-hand columns indicate the low consensus among other experts—there has rarely been full consensus on the exact grade, although there was usually consensus on whether the situation is at the effective or ineffective end of the scale.
| Component | Summary | Assessment grade | Confidence in grade | Confidence in trend | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ineffective | Partially effective | Effective | Very effective | ||||
| Climate | Understanding: Strategies around Australia acknowledge the need to plan for drought as a usual rather than exceptional circumstance. Climate variability is recognised in all jurisdictions as a key pressure to be addressed. Thinking about the governance context for addressing climate change is not well developed nationally |  |
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| Planning: National and jurisdictional plans for addressing future climate change are emerging as are plans to address year-to-year variation in water availability. Most of these plans still are struggling with how to move from emergency management to proactive management that engages the spectrum of key stakeholders. There remains a lack of clarity about mitigation versus adaptation and policy makers are still struggling with how to deal with uncertainty about climate | |
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| Inputs: Investment in data collection nationally is increasing, but many stakeholders argue it is still inadequate | |
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| Processes: Processes for dealing with drought and other aspects of climate variability are still highly reactive and based on emergency management. The Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) Commission and the MDB Authority have demonstrated models for interjurisdictional cooperation, but many stakeholders are calling for greater engagement with a wider range of stakeholders | |
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| Outputs and outcomes: The effects of recent droughts in eastern Australia on businesses and communities have been managed to the satisfaction of many stakeholders, but biodiversity was given a lower priority during emergency management. Plans under development for the MDB promise to give biodiversity a higher priority, but it is too early to see results. Recent developments illustrate that there is still considerable debate among interest groups | |
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| Pollution | Understanding: Sources of pollution and the need for incentive regulatory frameworks are well established for many pollutants. Concerns have been raised that the effects of micropollutants—chemical residues affecting humans and other animals and plants at low concentrations (e.g. breakdown products from medications, including birth-control drugs, and a range of hormone analogues) are under-recognised. If carbon pollution and acidification of oceans are considered, our assessment of the understanding of the issues is reduced | |
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| Planning: Many key industries have been working closely with governments to develop policies, plans and codes of practice to manage their effects on biodiversity, including pollution from off-farm run-off. Plans for addressing carbon pollution and ocean acidifications are at early stages of development and may need to be accelerated to address looming challenges | |
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| Inputs: Resourcing the implementation of pollution-management plans requires allocation of funds and a willingness to adopt best practice by both large companies and individual landowners. It appears that this is happening across most parts of Australia and most industries with respect to point-based pollution and some diffuse sources like agriculture and urban pollution. However, inputs to implementing plans to address carbon pollution and ocean acidification are arguably inadequate considering the potential challenges ahead. Micropollutants appear to be receiving inadequate attention | |
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| Processes: Best-practice guidelines have been developed for most key industries and it appears they are being applied by a large proportion of land managers. Few processes have been put in place to deal with carbon pollution and ocean acidification. Processes for detecting and dealing with micropollutants are poorly developed | |
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| Outputs and outcomes: All jurisdictions list pollution as a significant concern, especially in the contamination of waterways. Most suggest that regulation and best practice are keeping most pollutants within acceptable limits. Fertiliser run-off into waterways in many agricultural areas remains a concern. Very few tangible outputs or outcomes can be cited in relation to carbon pollution and ocean acidification. Micronutrients remain an emerging problem that has probably been underestimated | |
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| Consumption and extraction of biodiversity and/or other natural resources | Understanding: The need to carefully plan and monitor harvesting of native species is well recognised. However, the relationship between population size and distribution and demands of humans on natural processes mediated by elements of biodiversity is poorly understood and inadequately discussed. For example, debate about a population policy for Australia over the past 10 years has rarely considered environmental impacts in a sophisticated way | |
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| Planning: Overall pressure of the human population on the environment is discussed in some plans at the state level, but detailed plans to manage such pressures are poorly developed. The recent moves to discuss a national population policy promises to lead to planning that include human–environment interactions | |
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| Inputs: Inputs to regulating and monitoring the harvesting of terrestrial biodiversity appear adequate (but see Chapter 6: Marine environment for discussion of the regulation of fisheries). Most jurisdictions have invested in understanding the demands of humans on the environment and communicating that information to stakeholders, but progress appears to be limited by funding and inadequate research in most jurisdictions, including nationally |  |
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| Processes: Processes for regulating and monitoring native species harvesting appear to work well (but see Chapter 6: Marine environment for discussion of the regulation of fisheries). There are very few processes for assessing human demands on the environment more generally and most efforts are made by nongovernment organisations | |
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| Outputs and outcomes: Regulation and monitoring of the harvesting of native species appears to be effective (but see Chapter 6: Marine environment for discussion of the regulation of fisheries). Although limited attention has been given to the broader demand of humans on the environment, government and nongovernment agencies have been moderately successful in drawing attention to issues in this area | |
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| Clearing and fragmentation of native ecosystems | Understanding: The significance of this pressure has been recognised nationwide | |
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| Planning: Legislation, policies and plans are in place in most jurisdictions to address this pressure. Concerns are expressed that there are still ways to circumvent clearing restrictions. Plans to address the effects of past clearing include protecting remaining intact landscapes, investing in ‘stewardship’ of intact remnants by land managers, and/or investing in or encouraging revegetation. Generally, these plans recognise that reversing the effects will take a long time, major investments, and changes in a range of attitudes (of all Australians) and practices relating to land management | |
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| Inputs: Reports of illegal clearing suggest that resources to enforce restrictions are inadequate. Although all jurisdictions report additions to state and national reserve networks over the past decade, all recognise that these are still inadequate. Inputs to stewardship programs have been increasing at the national scale and in some jurisdictions. Investments in revegetation have been considerable at national and state or territory scales under various government and nongovernment programs. We have not assessed the effectiveness of these inputs against the objectives set by each program (most include performance monitoring criteria). Inputs are still inadequate to halt or reverse the effects of land clearance | |
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| Processes: Processes for implementing land clearing restrictions appear to be partially effective. Processes for investing in protection of remaining intact ecosystems or encouraging stewardship on private land have been evolving and changing over the past decade. This has been frustrating and overly confusing for many land managers, but it can also be seen as a step towards increasing Australia’s resilience in that governments have been prepared to work with stakeholders to explore new approaches | |
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| Outputs and outcomes: The rate of land clearing has reduced nationally, but the legacy effects of past clearing will continue for some decades. Overall, efforts to arrest or reverse the impacts of clearing have yet to show positive results nationally. The National Reserve System has grown, but is still a long way from being comprehensive, adequate or representative. Efforts by governments and nongovernment groups to encourage complementary conservation outside protected areas have increased protection of moderate areas and added to acceptance of the importance of off-reserve conservation. However, the efficiency and effectiveness of investments in these areas is still strongly debated. For example, we are not sure whether investment in protecting and managing habitat for particular species and groups of species is achieving the best result for all biodiversity. Similarly, we do not know whether the cost-effectiveness of stewardship programs is more efficient and effective than buying and protecting remaining intact ecosystems in perpetuity. The fact that that these issues are being debated on the basis of emerging evidence is a positive step. Exploring multiple options is also consistent with maintaining the resilience of the social–ecological systems of which biodiversity is a part | |
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| Pressures from livestock production | Understanding: Understanding the impacts of grazing has increased dramatically over the past decade, especially the role of watering points in spreading the influence of grazing animals. The context in which grazing is managed has also changed as drought and markets have placed pressure on grazing industries. (The uncertainty shown in the right-hand columns reflects differing views among experts and stakeholders, some of whom think that our grades for all components of pressures from livestock production are too optimistic.) | |
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| Planning: Interactions between grazing and biodiversity have been the focus of some major research projects over the past decade, including the Grain and Graze program in Land and Water Australia. This research has produced recommendations on how to plan grazing to minimise effects on biodiversity | |
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| Inputs: The past decade of drought has reduced stocking rates in many places, but other aspects of drought have worked against biodiversity. There is limited information on what efforts graziers have made to apply biodiversity-friendly practices, but their focus has likely been more on economic survival than biodiversity | |
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| Processes: As grazing has been listed as a major pressure across Australia for more than a decade, and major new concerns have arisen about its role in the decline of small mammals and birds in northern Australia, it must be concluded that processes for managing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity are ineffective. It is perhaps optimistic to suggest that these processes are improving in all parts of Australia, but we conclude that this is an average trajectory | |
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| Outputs and outcomes: It is reported that reductions in the impact of grazing are only observed in the most sophisticated biodiversity-friendly management regimes | |
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| Invasive species and pathogens | Understanding: Understanding the effects of invasive species and potential methods of control has been increasing due to research in state and Commonwealth agencies and especially in the cooperative research centre system, but the emergence of several new pressures suggests that understanding is not yet effective. Some reviewers of this document suggested that this situation is deteriorating, not improving as we have suggested | |
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| Planning: All jurisdictions have multiple plans for detecting invasive species and especially preventing establishment of new invasive species. Plans for reducing the impacts of existing invasive species vary in ambition from containment to eradication | |
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| Inputs: Most jurisdictions admit that they are unable to provide sufficient resources to control existing invasive species and most now focus on preventing establishment of new invasive species. New pressures are emerging and are of high concern due to the limited resources available for control |  |
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| Processes: Fragmentation of efforts and lack of ability to focus skills and resources strategically at a national scale have been concerns, but these areas appear to be improving | |
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| Outputs and outcomes: Although the impacts of some invasive species have been contained, many long-standing pressures persist and several new ones are emerging or are on the verge of doing so. Our upward-trending grade reflects the improvement of understanding and technologies for addressing invasive species, but resourcing does not appear to be improving at an adequate rate and could threaten progress | |
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| Altered fire regimes | See Chapter 5: Land | ||||||
| Changed hydrology | See Chapter 4: Inland water | ||||||
| Recent trends | Improving | Stable | Confidence | Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus |
| Deteriorating | Unclear | Limited evidence or limited consensus | ||
| Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment | ||||
| Grades | Very effective | |||
| Effective | ||||
| Partially effective | ||||
| Ineffective | ||||
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