The results of ACF Investigates 2024

That’s a wrap on ACF Investigates 2024!

After an extremely successful inaugural crowdsourced investigation in 2023, we were stoked to return in 2024 to scan more land and take on the bulldozers.

We tasked nature lovers like you with a mission and you stepped up.

From commuters on their smartphones to keen investigators on their computers, 675 people from 21 countries scanned 4,734,000 hectares of land – that’s an area bigger than Denmark!

We were blown away by the dedication of those who took part, with 52 investigators completing over 100 tasks each and one investigator completing a staggering 1935 tasks! How incredible is that?

“AI has evolved in leaps and bounds over the last couple of years but it's still garbage at spotting deforestation from space. We use algorithms to detect where bulldozing might have happened - but we need human eyes to verify the correct detections so that we know where to investigate,” said ACF Investigator, Kim Garratt.

“Every time you scan an image, you might be saving habitat for a koala or a quoll or a stuttering frog - or at least making sure that the people who bulldozed their home are held accountable.”

“What I love most about this project is that it's a really easy way to get involved for almost anyone - there's no special equipment or training needed. I spoke to one person who had just broken five ribs and was about to be laid up for a month. They couldn’t get out there and plant trees or protest coal exports, but they could spot deforestation.”

We’ve already stopped the bulldozers in their tracks in one case in the Hunter Valley and our investigations team are working hard to uncover more deforestation that is still ongoing and we can still stop.

So far, we’ve uncovered 23 further cases of suspected illegal land clearing and are reporting them to federal and state authorities. We still have many more cases to review, and we won’t let the bulldozers get away with it.

What happens next?

• The Investigations team will analyse your findings to build even more cases to advocate for protection of plants and animals. 
• We’ll present this research to landowners, compliance officers, media, banks and decision-makers – as appropriate – and demand they do the right thing – whether that’s stop the bulldozers or fix the systems that are encouraging them to let rip. 
• Your investigations will feed into influencing policies and laws that protect Australia’s wildlife and natural places. 

This community of volunteer investigators is proof that when we work together, we can create real change.