Indicators, condition and trends
Some of the content presented in the ACT State of the Environment Report 2019 has been omitted from this section. The full Indicators, condition and trends chapter from the ACT State of the Environment Report 2019, can be viewed and downloaded here.
About the Indicators, Condition and Trends
This section assesses the current condition and trends for a range of natural and sustainability issues in the ACT. Assessments are based on 26 indicators across 7 themes selected to address specific environmental issues. These indicators provide evidence on both the status of issues and the effectiveness of environmental management policies and activities.
Where relevant, the influence of significant climate and other events on data trends are discussed for each indicator. It is important to note that such influences can have a significant impact on environmental condition regardless of management effectiveness.
For each indicator, a graded assessment is provided using a dashboard display containing snapshots of key information including condition, trend and data quality. The dashboards should be read in conjunction with the indicator content provided in each section.
Data availability, quality and comprehensiveness is a key limitation for indicator assessments. The data quality ratings provided in the indicator dashboards provide a measure of the level of confidence in the condition and trend assessments reported. If adequate high-quality data was available, confidence in the assessment is high. If data was limited, confidence is low. Where data was insufficient to enable an assessment, an unknown rating is applied.
The graded assessment criteria are provided below.Adapted from Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, 2013, Victoria: State of the Environment, The State of Victoria, Melbourne.
Example indicator
This is an example indicator. It shows a fair condition with an improving trend, and high data quality.
- Poor
- Fair
- Good
Indicator assessment legend
- Poor
- Fair
- Good
Environmental condition is healthy across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have negligible impact on environmental condition/human health.
- Poor
- Fair
- Good
Environmental condition is neither positive or negative and may be variable across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have limited impact on environmental condition/human health.
- Poor
- Fair
- Good
Environmental condition is under significant stress, OR pressure likely to have significant impact on environmental condition/ human health.
- Poor
- Unknown
- Good
Data is insufficient to make an assessment of status and trends.
Improving
Deteriorating
Stable
Unclear
Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus
Limited evidence or limited consensus
Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment
Assessments of status, trends and data quality are not appropriate for the indicator
Interactivity
This website provides a range of interactive features to enable users to interrogate data-based infographics such as graphs and maps. Interactivity options are indicated by the following symbol with explanatory text of how to use the interactive features.