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 2006-2007 Blacktown City State of the Environment Report.pdf (75685 kb)
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State of the Environment Reports
What is a State of the Environment Report?
A State of the Environment Report (SoE) provides a summary of the local government environment and the human impacts on that environment. It provides an annual and comparable record of the local activities or responses of local government, industry and community groups in the protection, restoration and enhancement of the local environment. The SoE is therefore is a useful tool in measuring, and a mechanism for reporting on, Council and community progress towards Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD).
Comparing SoE reports from year to year enables Council to gauge improvements in different sectors of the environment and also identify those areas that will need attention in the future.
Council commenced the environmental reporting process in 1993, preparing the first Blacktown State of the Environment Report. The reports prepared are either comprehensive or supplementary, based on a four-year cycle between comprehensive reports. Subsequent reports have built upon the data presented in that initial report, permitting a greater understanding of the local environment and the complex issues that influence its condition.
The report has been prepared based on the environmental themes of:
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Land
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Water
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Air
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Biodiversity
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Noise
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Waste
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Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Heritage
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Sustainability
The purpose and objectives of SoE reporting are to:
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provide accurate, timely and accessible information on the condition and prospects of the Australian environment,
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increase public understanding of these issues,
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continue the development of national environmental indicators, and report on these indicators,
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provide an early warning of potential problems, and
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report on the effectiveness of policies and programs designed to respond to environmental change, including progress towards achieving environmental standards and targets.
Theme Summaries
SoE reporting changes to meet the needs of the users of the report. This occurs as Council develops better ways of presenting the information, when the community provides feedback regarding the report and as knowledge of the environment improves.
The SoE Report 2001/2002 introduced an "At A Glance" summary table, which provides a summary of the state of each environmental theme, the main pressures acting upon these environmental themes and a brief summary of the responses to the pressures.
The SoE Report 2003/2004 introduces a "Trends at a Glance" summary table that provides an indicator or status report on movement towards sustainability. This table archives statistics relevant to each chapter and documents change over time to record movement towards or away from sustainability.
A Report Card has also been developed with the SoE Report 2003/2004, which complements the technical SoE Report. It is intended that this Report Card will be printed for wider distribution throughout the community, as the Report Card is a summary of the technical SoE Report. It is anticipated that this Report Card will raise the profile of Council's State of the Environment Report and encourage the community to consider the impact of their daily actions on the Blacktown environment.
State of the Environment Report
Please note that all sections of the State of Environment Reports can be accessed by clicking on the relevant heading in the Table of Contents.
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2005-2006 State of Environment Report (59581 kb)
2006-2007 Blacktown City State of the Environment Report.pdf (75685 kb)
If you would like to view each part of the 2006-2007 Blacktown City SOE individually please click here.
These documents are in PDF format. You may follow this link for more information about this file type.
Note : These files are large files and may take some time to download over a standard dialup connection.