Environmental management

The Environment and Agriculture Branch produced a set of Experimental Environmental-Economic and Ecosystem accounts for the Great Barrier Reef Region

Canberra region water accounting 2013-14 to 2016-17. Includes water assets, physical supply and use, monetary supply and condition/quality of water

• The area of land that was managed for resource protection (e.g. reserves) increased nationally by 14.1 million hectares between 2015–16 and 2020–21.
• 56.2 million hectares of natural terrestrial vegetated: herbaceous land (e.g. grassland) became natural surfaces (e.g. bare earth) between 2015 and 2020.
• Total land value increased 48.4% to $7,733.0 billion between 2015–16 and 2020–21.

• Perennial water at lowest level in 2019 (0.2% of total land). 
• Natural surfaces at highest level in 2019 (43.7% of total land) followed by natural terrestrial herbaceous vegetation (40.4% of total land).
• Cultivated herbaceous vegetation peaked in 1992 (106.9 million ha) and was lowest in 2008 (33.7 million ha).

• In 2021 mangroves and saltmarsh combined provided coastal protection services for 280 thousand people occupying 150 thousand dwellings.
• In 2021 there were 1.1 million ha of saltmarsh.
• In 2020 there were 389 thousand ha of intertidal seagrass meadows.

• Australia generated 76 million tonnes of waste, 10% increase since 2016-17
• $17 billion spent on waste services, 18% increase since 2016-17
• Construction industry spent the most on waste services ($2 billion), 35% increase since 2016-17
• Exports remain steady since 2016-17 at 6% of total waste

In 2021-22:

• National water consumption by industries and households increased by less than half a percent to 13,449 GL (from 13,415 GL in 2020-21)
•  Water use by the Agriculture, forestry and fishing industry increased by 3% to 9,981 GL, driven by high water availability in New South Wales and Queensland
• Household water use decreased by 2% to 1,779 GL
• Sea water used for desalination fell by 5% and groundwater use fell by 9%, following a 16% increase in major dam storages.