Environment Information for Improved Natural Resource Management

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Environment Information for Improved Natural
Resource Management

• NatStats08
• Malcolm Thompson
• First Assistant Secretary
• Policy Coordination Division

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Key questions

• What is the current situation what is the
  history?
• What might the future look like?
• How effective have we been in the past?
• All this informs how we can best secure a
  desirable future

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Australia some facts
A u s t r a l i a

• 7.5 million square km
• 60,000 km coast
• Driest inhabited
• continent
• Variable climate
• 1 million species
• 20 million people

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Data availability for Australian State of the
Environment Report 2006
100
90
80
70
60
Percentage of indicators
50
40
30
20
10
0
Atmosphere
Antarctica
Biodiversity
Coasts Oceans
Human
Inland Waters
Land
All 296 indicators
Natural Cultural
Settlements
Heritage
Themes for indicators
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Elements of a sound information base

• Policy authority
• Investment
• Institutional responsibility
• Shared understanding of what is needed and why

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National Environmental Information System

• What is the current situation what is the
  history? Environmental accounts
• What might the future look like? Outlook
  products
• How effective have we been in the past?
  Evaluation products
• Environment information for improved natural
  resource management