Tracking changes in South Australia’s environment 41 trend and condition report cards | 2018 2 | Minister’s foreword South Australia’s natural environment is precious, expansive and diverse. As stewards of our state’s environment, we are faced with complex challenges and changing conditions that require leadership and policy-making based on good information and strong understanding. In this report, you’ll find simple and accessible evidence-based trend and condition assessments, which have vastly improved the way we are able to understand and communicate environmental trends. The report cards reveal some encouraging trends that show efforts to sustain and protect are seeing tangible benefits. We have seen improvements in soil erosion protection, an increase in the percentage of mangrove vegetation cover and general improvement of our precious River Murray thanks to good rainfall and flows including the delivery of hundreds of gigalitres of water each year under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. There are also areas where we are facing complex challenges. A statewide decline in biodiversity, worsening climate measures including rainfall, temperature and sea level, and an increase in the prevalence of invasive plants and animals are just some of the challenges outlined in this report. This report represents a significant step towards better understanding our environment and how we can work together to meet the complex challenges we face. I am confident these report cards will assist all of us to deliver practical, on-the-ground measures to sustain and protect our precious natural environment. David Speirs MP Minister for Environment and Water SA’s environmental trend and condition report cards 2018 | ii Contents Your guide to statewide report cards ............. 2 Land: protected areas Landscapes that are adequately protected ......................... 35 Climate theme ...................................3 Agricultural land Days protected from soil erosion........................................ 36 Climate Rainfall ................................................................. 5 Agricultural land Climate Projected rainfall .................................................. 6 Soil acidity ......................................................................... 37 Climate Temperature ........................................................ 7 Land: native fauna Climate Projected temperature ......................................... 8 Population trends and percentage threatened ................... 38 Climate Sea level rise ........................................................ 9 Land: native flora Population trends and percentage threatened ................... 39 Inland waters theme ........................11 Land: invasive species Wetlands Abundance and distribution of established invasive Percentage cover ............................................................... 13 species ............................................................................... 40 Aquatic ecosystem condition Coastal and marine theme ...............41 EPA condition assessments ................................................ 14 Mangrove vegetation Water management Percentage cover ............................................................... 43 Water allocation planning .................................................. 15 Coastal saltmarsh Surface water Percentage cover ............................................................... 44 Quantity and quality .......................................................... 16 Marine protected areas Groundwater Marine parks network ....................................................... 45 Water level and salinity ...................................................... 17 Seagrass Inland waters: native fauna Cover within sampling sites ............................................... 46 Population trends and percentage threatened ................... 18 Subtitdal reefs Inland waters: native flora Reef condition ................................................................... 47 Population trends and percentage threatened ................... 19 Coastal and marine: native fauna Inland waters: invasive fish Population trends and percentage threatened ................... 48 Established invasive fish abundance and distribution ......... 20 Coastal and marine: native flora Inland waters: biosecurity Population trends and percentage threatened ................... 49 New incursions of invasive species ..................................... 21 Fish stocks River Murray theme ..........................23 Proportion of stocks sustainable ........................................ 50 River Murray: water Coastal and marine: biosecurity Quantity and quality .......................................................... 25 Number of incursions ......................................................... 51 The Murray Mouth Air quality theme ..............................53 Days open .......................................................................... 26 Air quality River Murray: fish passage Particles (PM10) ................................................................... 55 Permanently wet area accessible ........................................ 27 Air quality River Murray: floodplain trees Lead (Pb) ............................................................................ 56 Tree condition index .......................................................... 28 Air quality River Murray: high value wetlands Sulfur dioxide (SO2) ............................................................ 57 Achievement of ecological targets ..................................... 29 Air quality Coorong and Lower Lakes vegetation Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) ....................................................... 58 Vegetation target success .................................................. 30 Land theme .......................................31 Woody native vegetation Percentage cover ............................................................... 33 Low native vegetation Percentage cover ............................................................... 34 1 | Your guide to statewide report cards 1. The focus of the report card, which could be an environmental asset, a pressure, or a 1 management activity. 2 2. The ‘indicator’ is what we 3 measured to assess trend and condition. 4 5 6 3. The banner colour indicates the statewide trend of this report card (see Icon index, below). 4. The ‘trend’ is the statewide change over time. 5. The ‘condition’ is the current state of the indicator (see 2). 7 8 6. Rating out of five for the reliability of the information based on; collection methods, age of the information, and how applicable the information is. 7. A map, which is on most report cards, shows regional trends. 9 8. The key message that sums up the report card. 9. Background information. 10. A hyperlink to access more technical information or to search Enviro Data SA. 10 Icon Statewide trend Condition Information reliability index Getting better Very good Excellent Stable Good Very good Getting worse Fair Good Unknown Poor Fair Not applicable Poor Unknown SA’s environmental trend and condition report cards 2018 | 2 Climate theme 3 | Barratt Paul © Summary Climate Climate Climate Rainfall Projected rainfall Temperature Trend Condition Reliability Trend Condition Reliability Trend Condition Reliability Getting Fair Very Getting Not Fair Getting Fair Very worse good worse applicable worse good Climate Climate Projected Sea level temperature Trend Condition Reliability Trend Condition Reliability Getting Not Fair Getting Fair Very worse applicable worse good SA’s environmental trend and condition report cards 2018 | 4 Climate Rainfall South Australia's EnvironmentalClimate trend Rainfall and condition report card 2018 Trend Condition Significant regional variation in The condition is rated as fair because seasonal rainfall trends have been rainfall changes across South Australia observed across South Australia since have been manageable. 1990. Winter rainfall has decreased in Persistent drying trends in the southern the state's south, while summer rainfall agricultural areas may reduce water has increased in the north. security and agricultural yields, impact This assessment uses the latest Bureau of ecosystems and increase fire risk in the Meteorology (BoM) observed rainfall data future. in the Australian climate change and In wetlands and water-dependent variability tracker. ecosystems, particularly in the south-east Significant drying trends were evident of the state, the duration of surface water across much of the southern agricultural inundation has fallen during the drier areas from April to October (top figure). months of the year, leading to The observed decrease in rainfall during encroachment of dryland terrestrial these months of 10–40 mm per decade vegetation. are significant since the typical average rainfall ranges from 300 to 500 mm across Since 1990, April to the region. Such winter drying is consistent with climate change predictions October rainfall in the and has occurred in other mid-latitude areas of Australia, such as south-west south has decreased Western Australia and Victoria. and November to Pastoral areas in northern South Australia had increased tropically influenced March rainfall in the summer rainfall of up to 40–60 mm per decade (bottom figure), with some north has increased increase in extreme rainfall events. Why is climate important? What are the pressures? What is being done? Climate affects almost every part of