State of the Environment (SoE) style reports can be produced using a variety of frameworks. The most commonly used frameworks in Australia are variations of the Pressure – State – Response (PSR) model developed by the OECD in 1993. This PSR model has three main elements:

• Pressure: the human activities that affect the environment, habitat or taxonomic group
• State: what is known about the status or health of the environment, habitat or taxonomic group
• Response: the actions taken by society to relieve or manage these pressures
  

The PSR model is based on a concept of causality. Human activities place pressures on the environment that cause a change in the state of the environment. These changes alert society which then implements a response to reduce the pressures and/or to change the affected environment (eg: revegetation).

The Condition – Pressure – Response model

The State of the Great Barrier Reef report uses a Condition – Pressure – Response (CPR) model which is based on the PSR framework. The CPR model uses the same three elements as the PSR model in a different arrangement but the term State has been revised to Condition inline with the OECD.

An example of how the CPR model is used in the State of the Great Barrier Reef report is shown below

• The condition being measured is the number of loggerhead turtles. There is a clear indication that the condition is declining (the number of loggerhead turtles nesting at key nesting sites has fallen dramatically since 1977).
• The pressures that are known to affect loggerhead turtles include factors such as bycatch in trawl nets and shark control equipment, coastal development, pollution, indigenous hunting and boat strikes.
• The response made by society includes passing legislation to make marine turtles a protected species, protecting key nesting sites, educating the public about pollution and boating, and as shown in the example above, making the use of Turtle Excluder Devices mandatory in trawl nets.
  

Society’s response is aimed at reducing the pressure which in turn, should result in the condition of the turtles improving. It is important to note that in this CPR model, response actions are targeted only on changing the pressure. The GBRMPA acts to reduce the pressures on the environment instead of trying to alter its condition. The Great Barrier Reef is an immensely large, complex and variable ecosystem. Our scientific understanding of how the Great Barrier Reef works is incomplete and attempts to change the reef (for example, coral reef restoration or transplantation) without a good understanding of how the ecosystem works could result in serious damage to the natural resources we are trying to protect. Furthermore, if the pressures that first caused the decline in the environment condition are not reduced, efforts to artificially improve the environment are unlikely to be successful. This has been demonstrated to be true in other places around the world.

Structure of the Report

Management agencies respond to the pressures placed on the environment from human activities

The State of the Great Barrier Reef reports are divided into two sections, Environment Status and Management Status.

The Environment Status section is divided into chapters about specific environmental attributes such habitat types or groups of plants and animals. These chapters use the CPR model to provide a comprehensive account of the particular situation in terms of its environmental condition or state of ‘health’, the pressures it faces and the responses made to alleviate those pressures.

The Management Status chapters provide detailed information about the key management issues concerned with the GBRWHA. As these chapters focus on information associated with Pressure and Response and consequently, the CPR model is not used. Management Status chapters describe the social and economic trends of the various activities in detail, and describe the steps taken to manage these activities.

The 1998 report contained 13 Environmental Status chapters and 8 Management Status chapters.