The 2026 SoE (SoE26) Report builds on the strengths of previous reports and introduces important updates based on expert recommendations, government priorities and user feedback. SoE26 will be more accessible, focused, and responsive to today’s environmental challenges.
A sharper focus
One of the most significant changes is a sharper focus. SoE26 is structured around 4 interconnected themes:
- coastal environments
- freshwater environments
- land environments
- marine environments.
These themes align to international frameworks, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Ecosystem Typology (GET) and United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (UN SEEA). The streamlined structure makes it easier to understand environment trends, and how different systems are connected.
Data-driven reporting
The report uses consistent, national data and repeatable methods to track environment change over time.
First Nations knowledge
SoE26 embeds First Nations perspectives and knowledge more deeply than ever before. Through two-way knowledge weaving it brings together First Nations knowledge systems and Western science in a way that values both approaches and produces a stronger, more complete evidence base.
Preparing the 2026 State of the Environment Report
What questions will the State of the Environment Report address?
A thematic approach to State of the Environment Reporting
First Nations People and the State of the Environment Report
The 2026 State of the Environment Indicators and Assessments
Understanding State and Trend Measures
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