Executive summary
State of the environment reporting had its genesis in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Most OECD countries now produce national state of the environment reports. The concept has been adopted by State and local governments in Australia.
State of the environment reports summarise and integrate available information on the condition of the major elements of the environment in a form that is useful to a wide audience. State of the environment reports provide information on pressures affecting the environment and trends in the condition of the environment. They also summarise responses made by society to environmental problems.
The statutory requirement
State of the environment reporting is a statutory requirement under both the Environmental Protection Act 1994 and the Coastal Management and Protection Act 1995. The Acts require the chief executive officer to prepare an assessment of the state of the environment (including the coastal zone) at least every four years. The Queensland State of the Environment Report 1999, is intended to meet the requirements of both Acts.
Aim of the report
The aim of the report is to provide information that will contribute to improved environmental management and outcomes in Queensland, including sustainable patterns of development and resource use. The report is the first in a series that will provide trend information on environmental condition.The report is intended as a resource for a wide audience, including:
- members of Queensland's Legislative Assembly;
- decision makers, policy makers and planners in government, business and industry;
- community groups;
- students and researchers; and
- members of the general public.
Structure of the report
The report has three components:
- an executive summary (this document);
- the 'main report', a full, unabridged report; and
- a report, subtitled Implementing the Legislation, on the efficiency and effectiveness of strategies implemented to achieve the objects of the Environmental Protection Act 1994 and the Coastal Management and Protection Act 1995.
The report has a broad scope; it describes the state of the environment in eight chapters examining Queensland's atmosphere, land, inland waters, coastal zone, energy resources, biodiversity, human settlements and cultural heritage.The report uses the 'pressure-state-response' framework developed by the OECD. Each chapter describes:
- the pressures acting on the environment;
- the state of the environment; and
- the responses developed to reduce the pressures and improve the environment's condition.
Reporting of pressures and state is combined in this executive summary in the interest of brevity.
Ecologically Sustainable Development
The objective of environmental management in Queensland is to achieve ecologically sustainable development (ESD). The Environmental Protection Act 1994 defines ESD as 'development that improves the total quality of life, both now and in the future, in a way that maintains the ecological processes on which life depends'.State of the environment reporting is an essential part of a four-stage process of improving environmental management and achieving ESD:
- establishing the state of the environment and defining environmental objectives;
- developing effective environmental strategies;
- implementing environmental strategies and integrating them into efficient resource management; and
- ensuring accountability of environmental strategies.
Last updated: 10 May 2004