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Preface
The Department of
Environment and Conservation (DEC), which incorporates the statutory Environment
Protection Authority, is responsible for preparing the New South Wales State of
the Environment (SoE) report every three years, as required by the Protection
of the Environment Administration Act 1991. It is a challenging task to pull
together information from many different sources to paint a picture of the
status and trends in our environment in a way that is scientifically sound and
accessible to the wider community.
DEC has relied on the information and expertise held, not
only within this Department, but also by other government agencies, and I
appreciate the extensive cooperation and advice they have offered in compiling
this sixth report, NSW State of the Environment 2006. As in previous
years, the report has also been strengthened by the independent advice from the
State of the Environment Advisory Council and I thank members for their time and
energy in reviewing our approach and providing many valuable suggestions to
improve this report.
The report�s three strands present:
- an
evaluation of the condition of the NSW environment and the trends since the last
report of 2003
- the
pressures which can affect the health of our environment
- the
responses, both government and non-government, to those conditions, trends and
pressures.
NSW State of the
Environment 2006 continues to use the core indicators from SoE
2000 and SoE 2003. This brings continuity in the analysis of each
environmental issue. We have developed further the indicator summary approach
used in 2003 by including a brief assessment of each indicator�s condition and
any discernable trend since 2003. We have also passed comment on the suitability
of the available data for making these judgements.
During preparation of the 2006 report, the NSW Government
adopted a set of 13 statewide targets for natural resource management, based on
recommendations by the Natural Resources Commission. We have coordinated our
efforts with this work and intend to link closely with the natural resources
management reporting into the future. The next SoE report in 2009 will also
report on progress in meeting these targets through the integrated NSW
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy for natural resources.
As with previous efforts, this latest SoE report will
undoubtedly become a well-used resource to assist environmental managers and
policymakers adapt and target their decisions and actions. We have new
opportunities to improve information management and its accessibility with new
electronic tools into the future. I welcome feedback on the report and its
accessibility, as this will help us develop and improve our environmental
reporting in years to come.
Lisa Corbyn
Director General
Department of Environment and Conservation NSW
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