National Environmental Law Association
The National Environmental Law Association (NELA) was founded in 1982 to advance Australian environmental law. It provides a platform for the discussion and advocacy of environmental law among legal professionals and wider communities. The organisation also generates submissions on sustainable development and climate change regulations to promote more effective law and policy. General public and students interested in environmental law and policy canattend seminars, lectures, and conferences held by NELA.***Climate, Public Participation, Education
Australian Rainforest Conservation Society
Founded in 1982, The Australian Rainforest Conservation Society (ARCS) is a Queensland based environmental organisation. Its mission revolves around protecting, repairing, and restoring rainforests. ARCS’s work can be subdivided into five groups: research, advocacy, public education, grass-roots support and on-ground ecological restoration. Specifically, the organisation addresses critical issues around biodiversity, champions for laws that protect national parks, researches effective ecological restoration methodology, and engages communities in the ground works.
***Conservation, Public Participation, Research, Education, Governance
Environmental Justice Australia
Environmental Justice Australia is a public interest legal organisation litigating and advocating for environmental justice. For more than 30 years, the centre has utilized law to empower local communities, advance social justice, and champion for climate action. The organisation envisions healthier communities, thriving ecosystems, more effective access to justice, and legal recognition of First Nations people. By filing the first lawsuit against a superannuation fund for failing to evaluate climate change risks sufficiently, EJA paved the way in climate risk litigation around the globe. Its major achievements include court cases that ended logging in ancient forests and banned the sale of native timbers, as well as a national clean air campaign which lobbies for reforming climate law and policy.
***Climate, Equity, Indigenous Communities
Clean Up Australia
Clean Up Australia Limited is a not-for-profit Australian environmental conservation organisation. The organisation has sponsored a yearly Clean Up Australia Day since 1990. Today, Clean Up Australia focuses on waste removal and preventing further accumulation. More than a million people participate each year on the first Sunday of March in cleaning up rubbish at different clean-up sites across the country. The organisation works closely with people, the government, and businesses to promote sustainable solutions.
***Individuals, Public Participation
Tangaroa Blue Foundation
Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australia-wide organization dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debri. The name of the organization (Tangaroa was the god of the ocean in Maori and Polynesian mythology who made laws to protect the ocean and its sea creatures) revolved around the group’s strong connection with the marine environment and the need to promote a philosophy explaining that humans cannot keep taking from our ocean environment without giving back just as much. The organization works very closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who also connect with the laws and lores of Tangaroa and strive to build a relationship between healthy freshwater and saltwater country and healthy communities. Additionally, Tangaroa Blue has strong connections and partnerships across the South Pacific with communities in the Cook Islands, Hawaii, Fiji, Vanuatu and PNG all using our resources, methodologies and database to work on the marine debris issue.
***Conservation, Communities, Indigenous Communities
Minderoo Foundation
Founded in 2001, Minderoo Foundation continue to drive its philanthropic mission and address modern slavery, ocean health, cancer, indigenous disparity, childhood development, artificial intelligence, disaster resilience, and plastic waste. The Foundation is one of Asia’s largest philanthropies, with AUD $2 billion committed to a range of global initiatives. Through a collaborative, evidence-based approach, it strives to solve major global challenges with its key initiatives: Arts & Culture, Building Communities, Collaborate Against Cancer, Fire & Flood Resilience, Flourishing Oceans, Frontier Technology, Generation One, No Plastic Waste, Research, Thrive by Five, and Walk Free. The foundation supports and funds early-stage innovation, develops major programs on the ground in communities, and advocates for change at domestic and international policy forums. It also accepts the scientific assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
***Conservation, Communities, Research, Indigenous Communities, Equity
Australian Wildlife Conservancy
Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is the biggest non-profit owner and manager of land for conservation in Australia. AWC’s mission is to strive towards effectively conserving all Australian native animal species and their habitats. AWC envisions a world where Australia’s biodiversity is valued and effectively preserved by an engaged community. To achieve this, AWC utilizes preeminent conservation science to develop, implement, and encourage new models for conservation, prompting the organization to be a key leader within its field.
***Conservation, Communities, Organizations
Environment Victoria
Environment Victoria is an independent grassroots member organization that utilizes environmental campaigns to raise awareness about climate crises and build a sustainable society. Since its establishment in 1969, the organization has developed world-leading conservation policies, improved public transportation, and highlighted sustainability to multicultural communities. Environment Victoria’s efforts to save forests, stop dam building, restore wetlands, and transition to clean energy has advanced the progress towards a sustainable and fair society.
***Conservation, Communities, Organizations
Bush Heritage
Bush Heritage is an environmental land conservation non-profit that protects native species and landscapes through land purchases and partnerships. Working closely with Traditional Owners and a range of other partners, Bush Heritage helps protect more than 11 million hectares of land in Australia and works across 37 reserves.
Bush Heritage uses right-way science, a combination of traditional Aboriginal knowledge and western science to restore land to good health and protect the more than 6,500 species found on its land. It partners with a large number of universities and currently has more than 60 research projects underway.
It recently launched its 2030 strategy with an ambitious plan to double and deepen its impact by the end of this decade.
***Government, Communities, Organizations
Planet Ark
Established in 1992, Planet Ark is an Australian non-profit environmental organization that focuses on assisting individuals, communities, governments, and businesses in reducing their negative impact on the environment through practical conscious action. The organization promotes collaboration between the private and public sectors to establish sustainable resource management for a circular economy, encourage a low carbon lifestyle, and connect more people to build a sustainability mindset.
***Individuals, Communities, Organizations
1 Million Women
1 Million Women is an organization led by members who want to build a strong movement in fighting climate change, through their households, communities, and workplaces. Founder, Natalie Isaacs, used to work in cosmetics manufacturing before she got an epiphany on the impact of all her daily actions, even at home. Now, she leads the organization to its goal of involving one million women in the pledge to save energy, reduce waste, cut pollution and start change. As of today, 830,000 members represent the “women and girls from every corner of the planet, building a lifestyle revolution to fight the climate crisis.”
***Individuals, Communities, Organizations
CERES
CERES is an environmental education centre, community garden, urban farm and social enterprise hub spread across four locations, linked by the Merri and Darebin Creeks on Wurundjeri Country, Melbourne. CERES was founded with the principal purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural environment and the vision of reconnecting people to their love for the Earth. A place of education and action, CERES creates environmentally beneficial, socially just, economically satisfying, culturally enriching and spiritually nurturing ways of living together.
***Individuals, Communities, Agriculture, Education
Climate Action Network Australia
Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) is a diverse network with shared leadership that links people to organizations working towards a shared vision. The Network supports valued goal achievements and provides aid to reach these accomplishments, in Australia and globally. To do this, the Network co-designs climate campaigns and projects, drafts policies to forward environmental action, and joins international like-minded networks. The organization’s vision is to reduce Australia’s climate pollution to zero, and protect its people and natural environment from the effects of climate change.
***Individuals, Organizations
Australian Conservation Foundation
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is Australia’s national environment organization which fights for a world where forests, rivers, people and wildlife can simultaneously thrive. With more than 700,000 members, ACF won World Heritage listings for Kakadu National Park and the Great Barrier Reef, while also stopping mining activity in Antarctica. Additionally, ACF led the world’s largest climate march in 2015.
***Individuals, Organizations, Indigenous Communities
Outdoors People for Climate
Outdoors People for Climate is a grassroots network that gathers outdoor enthusiasts to take action against climate change and other environmental issues. By advocating for a positive change they engage with local politicians and people across Australia to foster effective action and create a vision for a better future and a more impactful climate movement. Outdoors People for Climate is very passionate about divesting money away from fossil fuels to slow down the acceleration of climate change.They make a difference by speaking up, empowering action, building community, and supporting solutions. More than anything Outdoors People for Climate believes that when nature thrives, people thrive.
***Advocacy, Environment, Public Participation
Gould League
Gould League, originally founded to prevent bird-egg collecting and to educate for the protection of Australian birds, is Australia’s oldest environmental education organisation. Gould League provides science and sustainability curriculum for teachers, connects students with the environment, and supports communities with practical actions to live more sustainably. Over the years, Gould League’s excursion programs, sustainability centre, whole school sustainability behaviour change programs, interactive websites and publications have been acknowledged by both national and international organisations. With its engaging learning opportunities, Gould League has trailblazed the environmental education movement in Australia.
***Education, Environment, Public Participation
