State of the Environment Report 2023
Consultation has concluded. Thanks for your contributions.
Have your say in informing our State of the Environment Report for 2023 (SOER 2023)
What is being decided?
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA), as South Australia's independent environmental regulator, will be developing the SOER 2023 and we are seeking your input to help shape its content.
This report collates information from multiple sources to assess and report on the condition of our environment in South Australia. We need to understand the pressures that are placed on our environment, what impacts these may be having on our land, sea, air and inland waters, and what is being done to help protect, restore and enhance our environment for current and future generations.
Protecting the environment is a shared responsibility and we recognise that South Australians take pride in their environment and are actively involved in its protection and enhancement. We encourage you to become involved in the development of this important report.
The SOER is produced every five years under the Environment Protection Act 1993.
Background
The SOER provides important information on the health of our environment in South Australia. It does this by:
- Providing information on the current state of the South Australian environment;
- Incorporating Aboriginal perspectives on caring for Country and Sea Country;
- Identifying significant trends and condition of environmental assets;
- Describing the key pressures that may cause environmental change;
- Including perspectives on the most important environmental risks facing South Australia;
- Summarising policies and programs to protect and improve the environment;
- Presenting opportunities to facilitate environmental improvement.
The EPA undertook an independent review of the SOER after its completion in 2018. This review recommended that we enhance stakeholder engagement and improve its capacity to inform stakeholders on the state of the environment to drive change.
The EPA website provides information on our past State of Environment reports.
Get involved
We will be requesting input at various stages throughout the project to inform the SOER for South Australia. During our first stage, you can get involved in the following ways:
- Providing photos and sharing stories that can be used in the SOER website and report;
- Telling us what about the environment is important to you - what do you value most and what needs protecting;
- Informing us of any projects/programs that are being undertaken that contribute to improving the health of the environment;
- Telling us what you think the SOER should deliver.
What are the next steps?
The SOER will be published in December 2023. Until then, we will be engaging with our stakeholders, collating information and writing the report.
Updates on the report’s progress will be provided on this site and via our Twitter and LinkedIn page.
We need photos for our SOER web content
Solar and wind power at Edithburgh. Expanding our renewable energy sources to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
We want to capture the vision and values of South Australians in our State of Environment Report and pictures are worth a thousand words.
- Upload a photo which reflects our environment in South Australia. For example:
- a camping trip,
- a beautiful scene,
- food growing regions
- activities you enjoy doing in our environment,
- an opportunity for improvement, an environmental problem or an action that benefits the environment – anything!
- Tell us what the photo reflects and where it was taken.
- Inform us what this photo means to you from an environmental perspective.
By providing this information, you are agreeing for your photo to be potentially used in our report and on our website. Photos will only be used if they are of suitable quality, represents the environment, and provides the information requested above.
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The birds return.
These photos typify the increase in biodiversity, witnessed and experienced on my property, with better land management practices.By destocking, removing fences, planting trees, and ultimately creating a 17 hectare wooded grassland we have seen the number of new species on our land increase every year.
In most years, I photograph and identify, as many as six species not seen here previously.
I am also witnessing the massive increase on Kangaroo numbers, right across the Fleurieu Peninsula, to populations never seen before. -
Why the Gov't should not be considering a sand pipeline from Semaphore/Largs Bay to West Beach
My name is Maggie Gordon and I have been a Largs Bay resident since 1975. I am one of the founding members of the Semaphore Largs Bay Dunes Group and one of the two SLDG representatives on the Adelaide Coastal Communities Alliance. ACCA was formed last year to seek alternatives to the proposed environmentally harmful West Beach to Semaphore/Largs sand pipeline. It is made up of the environmental groups stretching along the coastline from North Haven to Henley.
I primarily wish to discuss the Semaphore and Largs Bay coastal environment, one that I have closely observed over many years. In... Continue reading
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Erosion on Adelaide Northern beaches
The breakwater at Semaphore South was built to collect sand to mitigate the erosion at Semaphore Park.
However in recent years the sand collected at this breakwater has been entirely redirected to West Beach, leaving Semaphore Park more vulnerable to the increasing frequency of storms. With the added impact of sea level rise this combination of factors has led to severe erosion along the beach at Semaphore Park and neighbouring Tennyson Dunes.
This is impacting houses and the planned future coastal path. -
The View That Tells Many Stories
This is the view from our home in beautiful Blewitt Springs near McLaren Vale, just 45 minutes south of Adelaide. I love this photo because I think it tells many stories about our precious environment.
Let's start in the foreground. The plants in our garden. What we plant in our South Australian gardens is so important. I am fortunate that many of the plants the former owners planted don't need much water. This is both handy for my low maintenance approach to gardening, but to also limit our water use. We rely on rainwater here but water use is something... Continue reading
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Whyalla Veterinary Clinic switches to Electric Vehicles.
It has become obvious over the last few years that internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE cars) that run on petrol and diesel are rapidly becoming obsolete and a new cleaner, more efficient technology is emerging, the Electric Vehicle or EV.
Economics:
Cost is a major driving force for change and with the rising cost of fossil fuels (Diesel or Petrol), this leaves us in a precarious position with our ability in Australia to transport people and goods. Currently 90% of Australia’s fuel comes from overseas and the war in Ukraine and cutbacks in Middle East production have shown us... Continue reading
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Feral European Honeybees in Tree Hollow
Feral European Honeybees are a serious threat to biodiversity in many parts of South Australia. They displace native fauna from tree hollows, and they can outcompete native fauna for nectar and pollen. This photo of a very large, established feral colony was taken in the Dry Creek Corridor at Modbury.
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Nature Play in Kensington Gardens Reserve
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Who's Listening
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Principal Adviser Assessment and Reporting
Email soer.epa@sa.gov.au -
Environment Protection Officer
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Environment Protection Officer
