Australia should invest in new environmental monitoring systems: ANU expert

Over the past 25 years, climate change has drastically altered Australia’s environment and biodiversity, with average temperatures increasing by 0.81 degrees Celsius and the number of threatened species rising by more than 50 per cent, according to a new report led by The Australian National University (ANU). 

According to the report’s lead author, our access to the systems used to gather data and observe environmental changes is now under threat, adding to the challenges being faced. 

Professor Albert Van Dijk says for decades, Australia has relied on other countries, particularly US agencies such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to supply the satellite imagery and climate records that “underpin almost all aspects” of environmental monitoring in Australia. 

As the US administration threatens to scale back on environmental science funding, Professor Van Dijk is calling on the Australian Government to invest in new and more robust environmental monitoring systems, to bolster the nation’s environmental data sovereignty. 

As Professor Van Dijk explains, you can’t protect what you can’t measure. He warns the slow erosion of Australia’s own monitoring networks may go unnoticed until it’s too late. 

“If access to data streams from other countries is disrupted or discontinued, Australia has no back up plan,” Professor Van Dijk said. 

“Our own on-ground monitoring infrastructure is ageing and underfunded, and weather stations and stream gauges are being decommissioned or left unrepaired, groundwater and soil-moisture networks are patchy, and many regional areas are data deserts.” 

The calls coincide with the release of a new report led by Professor Van Dijk that examines 25 years of changes to Australia’s environment. The report is led by ANU in collaboration with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). 

“Since 2000, Australia’s average land temperature has increased by 0.81 degrees Celsius, with 16 more days above 35 degrees Celsius each year, or a 22 per cent increase. Ocean temperatures around Australia have warmed by 0.43 degrees Celsius, fuelling more marine heatwaves and repeated mass coral bleaching events of the Great Barrier Reef,” Professor Van Dijk said. 

“Between 2000 and 2024, the number of listed threatened species in Australia has risen by 741, from 1,397 to 2,138, a 53 per cent increase. Counts of birds, mammals, frogs and plants have declined by more than 60 per cent in some cases. Their decline reflects habitat destruction, invasive species, climate stress and ecosystem disruption. 

“However, there are signs of hope. In parts of eastern and northern Australia, vegetation condition has improved, likely driven by shifting rainfall patterns, reduced clearing and carbon dioxide fertilisation. 

“River flows and wetland inundation have also recovered in some regions, while the hole in the ozone layer has started to close in response to global action on climate change. 

“Other than rising temperatures and biodiversity decline, there’s no strong national trend in overall environmental condition. Instead, we see large swings driven by droughts, floods and fires. But some regions show long-term improvements, especially those recovering from the Millennium Drought.” 

The report draws on 25 years of data from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), TERN, national and state agencies, volunteer networks, and global satellite partnerships, including NASA’s MODIS satellite program. 

These records help researchers analyse patterns, detect trends, and understand the drivers that impact Australia’s environment over time. Without consistent satellite, station and survey data, researchers wouldn’t be able to track or respond to these changes. 

But now, access to these data systems is becoming increasingly uncertain. 

“The US administration is proposing dramatic cuts to environmental science; NASA’s Earth science funding could be halved, while NOAA’s climate and weather programs face deep reductions,” Professor Van Dijk said. 

“These agencies have already begun scaling back services. NOAA has closed labs, cut staff and announced the decommissioning of public data portals, while forecasting and satellite operations are under pressure.” 

In the 2025-26 Budget, the Albanese government committed $76 million to establish a national agency, Environment Protection Australia (EPA), to better protect, restore and manage Australia’s environment. 

Professor Van Dijk said a future EPA could play a crucial role in helping bolster Australia’s environmental monitoring infrastructure. But to do so, the agency must play a broader role than just regulation. 

“It should become a champion for environmental data, recognising that protecting nature requires knowing what’s happening where, and why. That means investing in the infrastructure to observe environmental changes, from satellites to sensors and surveys,” he said. 

“It means forging durable partnerships with international agencies but also building more sovereign capability. It also means valuing the contributions of community groups and researchers and providing sustained support for the data they collect; citizen scientists remain a vital source of knowledge, but formal participation is declining, and long-term support is thin.” 

The Australia’s Environment: 25-Year Trends report brings together satellite observations, weather and water records, and on-ground biodiversity and vegetation monitoring. 

The report is available online at: https://ausenv.tern.org.au/ 

Professor Van Dijk, in collaboration with TERN, has been producing Australia’s Environment report for 10 years. Each year he rates the condition of the county’s environment on a scale from one to 10, along with scorecards for each state and territory.