Your donations are kicking goals for nature and climate

Sometimes it’s important to take a breath and look how far we’ve come. Because of your generosity and commitment we are building a better future, one where nature and people thrive.

“When I look back over the last twelve months, I’m filled with awe and gratitude at what we’ve achieved together. And none of it — not a single thing — would be possible without your support. Your passion, determination and love of nature have a tangible, far-reaching impact on our beautiful places and wildlife.” 

-Kelly O’Shanassy, ACF CEO

In the last year your generous donations have helped us to achieve some big wins for nature and climate.

Your bold campaign is telling the truth about nature destruction

Every hour in Australia the equivalent of 28 Sydney Opera Houses of threatened wildlife habitat is bulldozed — home to thousands of threatened species, including our beloved Koala. 

Our research revealed that many Australians don’t know about the extinction crisis. And so, we set out to show Australians the truth of what is going on all around us. With your support, we produced a national advertising campaign to put habitat destruction into context. You may have seen our ads online or on billboards across the country or even while watching your favourite show on TV. Thanks to you, we made sure our message was heard. It’s one of many ways your support is helping to mobilise all Australians in the fight to save our big backyard.

Watch our TV ad here.

Habitat destruction exposed! How you helped power a huge investigation

We launched ACF’s first crowdsourced investigation project — and it proves just how powerful your support is. Habitat destruction is fuelling our extinction crisis, but in a big country like Australia it can often go unseen and undocumented. So in February we asked our community to help us look through satellite images of at-risk native habitat and identify areas where habitat had been destroyed.

In just four weeks:

• 2,100 volunteers took part in the project from 15 countries
• 3,681,000 hectares of at-risk native habitat were scanned by these volunteers
• 41,051 tasks were submitted, over an estimated 2,052 hours
• 2,045 locations across Australia were analysed.

Now, because of your powerful support, the ACF Investigations Unit will be able to investigate each and every event of land clearing community investigators have identified.

With your help, we're taking Woodside to court

Last year you helped launch a case against Woodside’s proposed Scarborough gas project. With your support, we argued the climate impact of the mine must be assessed under our environmental law. We pointed out that Woodside’s Scarborough project will produce vast quantities of climate-heating pollution for many decades, contributing to climate change and damaging our Great Barrier Reef — supposedly protected under our environment law. 

Woodside didn’t want their impact assessed, for obvious reasons. So, they tried to have our case against them struck out of court. I’m glad to report, their latest attempt to avoid scrutiny has failed. The Judge dismissed Woodside’s application and ruled that our case can proceed to a hearing. A win against Woodside would help protect the Great Barrier Reef from yet another threat.

Bulldozing halted — thanks to you

You helped us expose potentially illegal land clearing of Koala habitat near Brisbane. This land clearing was a blatant example of the need for stronger environmental laws. We found 183 hectares of vital habitat had been destroyed without approval. 

With your ongoing support, we will continue to monitor the property from satellite and act immediately if clearing restarts. And at the same time, thanks to you we are continuing to push for stronger environmental laws, working closely with all levels of government as they redraft our laws to do more to protect the nature we love. 

You’re helping lower the emissions of our biggest polluters

The Safeguard Mechanism is legislations that was introduced in 2016 with the aim of reducing emissions from Australia’s biggest polluters. But in the five years following its introduction, emissions rose by a staggering 20%. Thanks to your support, we recently won a critical battle to strengthen the safeguard mechanism. 

This significant win will cut emissions from Australia’s biggest polluters and make it much harder for big new gas projects, like the Beetaloo Basin, to go ahead.

Your support powered months of fierce campaigning and lobbying of MPs. Thanks to you, we mobilised supporters and community groups and engaged the media, running ads across the country to demonstrate the horrifying extent of the problem.

Clive Palmer’s coal mine rejected: thanks to you 

Billionaire Clive Palmer wanted to build a coal mine just 10km from the Great Barrier Reef which would have damaged local habitat including nesting beaches for turtles and a dugong sanctuary. But he didn’t count on people power. He didn’t count on the environmental movement, and your willingness to band together — across organisations and across political lines — to protest against the mine. And now, because of your passion and determination, Minister Tanya Plibersek has rejected the Clive Palmer-owned Central Queensland Coal Project. 

All of these incredible wins wouldn’t be possible without your help. Thank you for building a better future for nature with us.

We won’t give up until Australia’s nature is protected and regenerated.