This document forms the Australian government's response the Independent Review of the EPBC Act, conducted by Graeme Samuel in 2021. It sets out the government’s commitment to reform Australia’s environmental laws to better protect, restore and manage Australia's unique environment.

In December 2021, the Queensland Government’s Statewide Land and Tree Study (SLATS) released the most recent detections of forest and woodland destruction for 2018-19 using a new and more accurate methodology. This report analyses the 2018-19 SLATS data to quantify destruction of forested habitats for...

Australia is home to some of the world’s most ancient forests. This paper offers policy-makers a blueprint for assessing the true value of our native forests. Recognising the inherent preferencing of the quantitative (particularly when it comes to Expenditure Review Committee processes), the authors conduct...

This action plan maps a pathway to recovery for Australia's nation’s threatened wildlife - spanning terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. It presents a vision to drive practical, on-the-ground efforts, and identifies critical action for the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities guided by experts...

This report aims to provide policy-makers with an opportunity to revisit, review and reflect on environmental policies in the United Kingdom over the years. In doing so, the intention is that lessons can be learnt from the successes and failures of previous environmental policies.

This report calculates the Australian economy’s direct dependence on nature and the variation in direct dependency for every major industry sector. It also calls for government to create strong environment laws that protect nature and establishing an independent regulator to enforce them.

This report presents an update on CSIRO’s global megatrends out to 2042, with the view to guide long-term investment, strategic and policy directions across government, industry, the not-for-profit sector and the broader Australian community.

The state of the environment report is a comprehensive assessment of the health of every aspect of Australia's environment. Written by independent experts, it analyses the best available evidence every five  years to guide policy and action.

The research in this report suggests that a spill or accident at Woodside’s Burrup Hub gas project could release toxic gas and condensate of a similar consistency to crude oil into World Heritage listed marine parks, with dangerous pollution reaching West Australian coastal communities, and...

Since 2016, The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI) has led a strong collaboration of senior stakeholders from industry, government, regulators and the science community, to build a data sharing and access culture. This document highlights the digital journey and the achievements that are helping...

This paper presents a randomised evaluation of collective pay-for-performance payments for ecosystem services. The authors test whether community-level fiscal incentives can curtail the use of land clearing fire, a major source of emissions and negative health externalities, in a critical low regulation setting. The program...

Australasian cities are hotspots where increased urbanisation and nature collide, hotspots for threatened biodiversity and degradation. Papers in this track provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to learn from each other, as well as position and present Australasian research on city and nature with...

This paper reports on a survey of local government urban forest professionals across Australia conducted in July 2020. Focusing on qualitative data from Likert scale and open-ended questions the authors interrogate the barriers and potential enablers to improved urban forest management on private land.

This report by five national conservation groups warns that Australia faces an avalanche of imminent extinctions requiring policy and regulatory responses and restoration programs which strengthen the threat abatement system.

This triennial report synthesises the evidence base on the state of the environment contained in domain reports since 'Environment Aotearoa 2019'. The report does not suggest any response, as it is out of scope under the report’s governing legislation.

Australia is a world leader in nature destruction. We’re the only developed nation on the list of global deforestation hotspots and we’ve caused the extinction of more mammals than any other nation. This investigation reveals how the federal government has been intensifying, rather than abating...

This report calls for Australia to lift its ambition in five key areas, by championing a strong post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and by demonstrating how the commitments under the framework will be implemented domestically.

This report recognises the interdependence of climate, ecosystems and biodiversity, and human societies and integrates knowledge more strongly across the natural, ecological, social and economic sciences than earlier IPCC assessments. The summary for policy-makers presents key findings of the Working Group II (WGII) contribution to...

Victoria’s ecosystems are currently facing serious decline. Population growth and spread has put pressure on ecosystems, which has led to the degradation and loss of many native species and habitats. The Committee has used both the submissions and the evidence given at public hearings, as...

This survey report finds that biological diversity was the most highly valued aspect of WA’s south-west native forests, followed by habitat provision for threatened species and communities and a provision of ecosystem services. Furthermore, old growth forest areas, followed by threatened species and communities and...

This audit examines how well the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is acquitting its responsibilities under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 and in Protecting Victoria’s Environment—Biodiversity 2037 to better protect threatened species.

This paper investigates the New Zealand conservation system – the collection of laws, regulations, policies and institutions that are designed to conserve nature, and highlights current issues with its operation.

This report provides a snapshot of New Zealanders’ experiences in the outdoors and their interaction with biodiversity and conservation.

In this report, the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee recommends that the Australian government support the development and use of lower-impact technologies for all offshore seismic surveying to reduce the potential impacts of seismic testing on marine animals and the marine environment.

With collaboration between Japanese and Australian communities, progress is possible to reduce the damage caused by coal mining in Australia and coal consumption in Japan. The aim of this report is to support this collaboration.