Nature's champions

For half a century, ACF has spoken out for the most important thing on Earth – life itself

Some 50 years ago, a handful of people formed the Australian Conservation Foundation when oil and mining first threatened the Great Barrier Reef.

Since then, our community has grown to half a million people who stand up for the places and wildlife we love – like the Kimberley, the Daintree, Fraser Island, Kakadu and the Franklin River.

Thanks to the dedicated support of generous donors, decade after decade, we champion big ideas for a better world. We hold decision makers to account. We find common ground with unlikely partners. We make this country a better place.

Together, we have: 

Created the world’s largest marine park network. Helped win World Heritage listing for Tasmania’s ancient forests and our Great Barrier Reef. Seeded the ideas that became Landcare and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. Stood with the Mirrar people to stop the Jabiluka uranium mine. Put water back into the rivers that nourish the Murray-Darling Basin. Kept our damaged climate on the agenda, even when decision makers try to ignore it

Today the stakes are even higher. Broken systems controlled by vested interests mean pollution and destruction threaten the whole web of life.

That’s why passionate, committed and generous people – Nature’s Champions – matter more than ever.

From polluting fuels to clean energy

We all want to keep enjoying life on the planet we call home – with abundant coral reefs, clean air and thriving communities. But by burning coal and gas, big polluting companies are damaging our climate and fuelling fire-storms, heatwaves, cyclones and floods. With too many of our elected representatives listening to the fossil fuel lobby instead of the people, Australia’s transition to 100% clean energy is much too slow.

To turn this around, our Nature’s Champions will enable ACF to:

Build powerful cross-sector alliances to replace Australia’s most polluting power stations with clean energy, while making sure there’s support for people who work in polluting industries to transition to jobs with a future.

Lead Australia’s nuclear-free movement to stop all new uranium mines and responsibly manage radioactive waste dumps and pollution.

Ramp up a collaborative national #Repower campaign to push for 100% clean energy in Australia by 2030, while cleaning up industry, transport and energy waste.

From economic greed to wellbeing and connection

Imagine living in a country that values more than just what money can buy. A society where communities are active and empowered to make decisions for the common good, and where people work in meaningful jobs that are good for our communities and our future. An economy that puts people and our planet first.

Right now, our economic system values the wrong things. It focuses on short-term gain and endless economic growth, treating people and our planet as capital to be traded, extracted and exploited – and it is
damaging our world.

But this system is human-made, and with your support, together we can fix it by:

Collaborating with allies across civil society to disrupt the dominant story that environmental destruction is inevitable and expose the many ways our current economic rules are failing.

Creating a powerful movement of people demanding Australia redesign our economic rules with concepts of stewardship, equality and cooperation at their foundation, not only competition.

Pushing governments to implement best practice economic measures to better account for environmental impact – valuing reefs, people, forests, wildlife and oceans for more than what can be extracted from them.

Working with two iconic Australian businesses to rigorously evaluate their real environmental impact, make improvements and model best practice behaviour to catalyse wider change.