Summary
A new approach was developed for Australia’s 2011 national State of the Environment (SoE) report to integrate the assessment of biophysical and human elements of the environment. A Common Assessment and Reporting Framework (CARF) guided design and implementation, responding to jurisdictional complexity, outstanding natural diversity and ecosystem values, high levels of cultural and heritage diversity, and a paucity of national-scale data. The CARF provided a transparent response to the need for an independent, robust and evidence-based national SoE report. We conclude that this framework will be effective for subsequent national SoE assessments and other integrated national-scale assessments in data-poor regions.
Authors:Ward T. Cork S. Dobbs K. Harper P. Harris P. Hatton T. Joy R. Kanowski P. Mackay R. McKenzie N. Wienecke B.
Published in: 2014
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
Program area: Southern Ocean Ecosystems
Ward T., Cork S., Dobbs K., Harper P., Harris P., Hatton T., Joy R., Kanowski P., Mackay R., McKenzie N., Wienecke B.
(2014)
Framing an independent, integrated and evidence-based evaluation of the state of Australia’s biophysical and human environments,
Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
17pp;
doi:10.1080/09640568.2014.891073;