At a glance
This report has documented the widespread lack of consistent long-term data for assessing the effectiveness of investments in biodiversity management in Australia. Although it is reasonable to assume that there are many program-related examples that link investment to positive outcomes for biodiversity, the limited published evidence, and broader accessibility and sparse communication of success remain issues. Conversely, it is much easier to document evidence of biodiversity declines and, therefore, insufficient or inefficient investment in the face of species extinctions, unfulfilled management targets and increasing pressures.
Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010–2030 is the primary instrument for Australia to implement its obligations under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, and it outlines a range of biodiversity conservation targets. Most of the targets remain unmeasured, and it is therefore difficult to assess progress, although it is clear that some targets have not been achieved.
One of the targets that has been achieved is an increase in the area of habitat managed primarily for nature conservation. This has been achieved through increases in the National Reserve System—17 per cent of Australia’s land and 36 per cent of marine waters are now contained within protected areas. Much of the increase in the terrestrial reserve system has been in land managed under Indigenous or joint management (now around 47 per cent of all protected areas). There has also been growth in conservation covenants on private lands in Australia, which contribute to the National Reserve System. Progress is still required to meet representativeness, comprehensiveness and adequacy targets. Many of our species and communities listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 are not well represented in the National Reserve System.
The effectiveness of recovery planning for threatened species and communities is very difficult to assess because of a lack of long-term monitoring data.
A key policy initiative for threatened species management since 2011 has been the development of a Threatened Species Strategy and the appointment of a Threatened Species Commissioner. The action plan associated with the strategy lists 20 mammals, 20 birds and 30 plants for priority action, along with a suite of feral cat control initiatives.
Many local-scale and regional-scale projects have been successful in managing pressures, and protecting threatened species and communities. However, at a national scale, the effectiveness of the management of pressures on biodiversity shows little improvement. The fact that the impact of most pressures is high and increasing, and the status of biodiversity overall is in decline suggests that management actions are insufficient to address the scale and magnitude of current pressures.
Overall, the level of investment in biodiversity and conservation management is in decline. However, concerted citizen-science efforts are contributing to our understanding of biodiversity and to management of biodiversity in Australia.