Australia’s Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity 2014 2018 ‒ 24 March 2020 © Commonwealth of Australia 2020 Ownership of intellectual property rights Unless otherwise noted, copyright (and any other intellectual property rights) in this publication is owned by the Commonwealth of Australia (referred to as the Commonwealth). Creative Commons licence All material in this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence except content supplied by third parties, logos and the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. Inquiries about the licence and any use of this document should be emailed to [email protected]. Cataloguing data This report should be attributed as: Australia’s Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity 2014‒2018, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 2020 CC BY 4.0. ISBN 978-1-76003-255-5 This publication is available at http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/international/un-convention-biological-diversity. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Telephone 1800 900 090 Web awe.gov.au The Australian Government acting through the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has exercised due care and skill in preparing and compiling the information and data in this publication. Notwithstanding, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, its employees and advisers disclaim all liability, including liability for negligence and for any loss, damage, injury, expense or cost incurred by any person as a result of accessing, using or relying on any of the information or data in this publication to the maximum extent permitted by law. 2 Contents About this report ............................................................................................................................6 I. INFORMATION ON THE TARGETS BEING PURSUED AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL .........10 National Target 1: By 2015, achieve a 25 per cent increase in the number of Australians and public and private organisations who participate in biodiversity conservation activities. ...................................................................................................................................... 11 National Target 2: By 2015, achieve a 25 per cent increase in employment and participation of Indigenous peoples in biodiversity conservation. ...............................................13 National Target 3: By 2015, achieve a doubling of the value of complementary markets for ecosystem services. ................................................................................................................15 National Target 4: By 2015, achieve a national increase of 600,000 km2 of native habitat managed primarily for biodiversity conservation across terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments. ...............................................................................................................................17 National Target 5: By 2015, 1,000 km2 of fragmented landscapes and aquatic systems are being restored to improve ecological connectivity. ................................................................18 National Target 6: By 2015, four collaborative continental-scale linkages are established and managed to improve ecological connectivity. .......................................................................20 National Target 7: By 2015, reduce by at least 10 per cent the impacts of invasive species on threatened species and ecological communities in terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments. ...................................................................................................................22 National Target 8: By 2015, nationally agreed science and knowledge priorities for biodiversity conservation are guiding research activities. ...........................................................24 National Target 9: By 2015, all jurisdictions will review relevant legislation, policies and programs to maximise alignment with Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. .............26 National Target 10: By 2015, establish a national long-term biodiversity monitoring and reporting system. ..........................................................................................................................27 II. IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES TAKEN, ASSESSMENT OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS, ASSOCIATED OBSTACLES AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL NEEDS TO ACHIEVE NATIONAL TARGETS ...........................................................................30 III. ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS TOWARDS EACH NATIONAL TARGET ..............................46 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF EACH GLOBAL AICHI BIODIVERSITY TARGET ...................................................................58 Aichi Biodiversity Target 1: Awareness of biodiversity increased ...............................................58 Aichi Biodiversity Target 2: Biodiversity values integrated ........................................................63 Aichi Biodiversity Target 3: Incentives reformed ........................................................................66 Aichi Biodiversity Target 4: Sustainable production and consumption .......................................70 Aichi Biodiversity Target 6: Sustainable management of aquatic living resources .....................79 Aichi Biodiversity Target 7: Sustainable agriculture, aquaculture and forestry ...........................82 Aichi Biodiversity Target 8: Pollution reduced ............................................................................86 Aichi Biodiversity Target 9: Invasive alien species prevented and controlled .............................88 Aichi Biodiversity Target 10: Ecosystems vulnerable to climate change ....................................92 Aichi Biodiversity Target 11: Protected areas ..............................................................................96 Aichi Biodiversity Target 12: Reducing risk of extinction ..........................................................99 3 Aichi Biodiversity Target 13: Safeguarding genetic diversity ...................................................103 Aichi Biodiversity Target 14: Ecosystem services .....................................................................106 Aichi Biodiversity Target 15: Ecosystem restoration and resilience ..........................................109 Aichi Biodiversity Target 16: Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing ....................... 113 Aichi Biodiversity Target 17: Biodiversity strategies and action plans ..................................... 113 Aichi Biodiversity Target 18: Traditional knowledge ................................................................ 115 Aichi Biodiversity Target 19: Sharing information and knowledge...........................................120 Aichi Biodiversity Target 20: Mobilizing resources from all sources .......................................124 V. DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE TARGETS OF THE GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR PLANT CONSERVATION .................131 Please describe the major measures taken by your country for the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. ....................................................................................132 GSPC Target 1: An online flora of all known plants ..................................................................134 GSPC Target 2: An assessment of the conservation status of all known plant species, as far as possible, to guide conservation action ..............................................................................135 GSPC Target 3: Information, research and associated outputs, and methods necessary to implement the Strategy developed and shared ...........................................................................136 GSPC Target 4: At least 15 per cent of each ecological region or vegetation type secured through effective management and/or restoration ......................................................................138 GSPC Target 5: At least 75 per cent of the most important areas for plant diversity of each ecological region protected with effective management in place for conserving plants and their genetic diversity................................................................................................140 GSPC Target 6: At least 75 per cent of production lands in each sector managed sustainably, consistent with the conservation of plant diversity ................................................141 GSPC Target 7: At least 75 per cent of known threatened plant species conserved in situ........143 GSPC Target 8: At least 75 per cent of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20 per cent available for recovery and restoration programmes ..............................................................................................................144 GSPC Target 9: 70 per cent of the genetic diversity of crops including their wild relatives and other socio-economically valuable plant species conserved, while respecting, preserving and maintaining associated Indigenous and local knowledge ...............146 GSPC Target 10: Effective management plans in place to prevent new biological invasions and to manage important areas for plant diversity that are invaded ...........................147 GSPC Target 11: No species of wild flora endangered by international trade ...........................149