State of the Antarctic Environment

2006 Australian State of the Environment Report - Australian Antarctic Territory

Every five years the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources publishes a report on the state of the Australian environment. The 2006 report for the first time includes the Australian Antarctic Territory - that 42% portion of the Antarctic continent claimed by Australia - as a specific theme.

Marine debris on Heard Island. Photo: E. Woehler

Heard Island glaciers such as Brown Glacier have retreated significantly over the last 50 years. Photo: Chris Stevenson

Lichens on Heard Island Photo: Roger Kirkwood

The Australian Antarctic Territory theme covers the following environmental issues:

• climate, atmosphere and the ice
• marine ecosystems
• human pressures
• Antarctic heritage, including:
• condition of Antarctic heritage sites
• risks to Antarctic heritage sites
• resources to manage Antarctic heritage sites
• Antarctic heritage collections in Australia

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website provides access to copies of the full 2006 State of the Environment Report and the Australian Antarctic Territory theme report.

These reports refer to environmental "indicators", which allow assessments to be made of environmental change and trends. The Antarctic Division, through its online System for Indicator Management and Reporting (SIMR), employs a similar approach to monitoring and reporting on the Antarctic environment.