Biological Diversity Report - Australia

In March 2026, Australia released its first national biodiversity progress report under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, assessing progress across all 23 global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

The report highlights some gains. Around 52 per cent of Australia’s ocean is now under protection, Indigenous Protected Areas exceed 108 million hectares, and more than $700 million has been committed to threatened species recovery. However, progress remains uneven. Ecosystem restoration is advancing too slowly; key indicators, such as ecosystem health and species viability, are not yet fully measurable due to data gaps, and clear signs of ecological recovery remain lacking.

This report also forms Australia’s Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, marking the country’s first submission under the new global framework. As a signatory since 1993, Australia continues to align its national approach with international obligations to conserve biodiversity, use natural resources sustainably, and ensure the fair sharing of benefits from genetic resources.

The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022, sets out four global goals by 2050 and 23 targets by 2030, with the overarching vision of living in harmony with nature. Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024–2030 serves as the national roadmap for delivering on these commitments, bringing together existing efforts and setting a clear direction to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Despite this structured approach, recent analysis from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services highlights biodiversity loss as an emerging organisational risk, alongside climate change. The findings underscore the growing need for stronger governance, better data, and more coordinated action to drive meaningful environmental outcomes.