David Grech

Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Australian Wildlife Conservancy is the largest private owner/manager of land for conservation in Australia, protecting endangered wildlife across over 12.9 million hectares in iconic regions such as the Kimberley, Cape York, Lake Eyre and the Top End. As a leader in the field, our mission is the effective conservation of all Australian native species and the habitats in which they live. Recognising that ‘business as usual' for conservation in Australia will mean additional extinctions, AWC is developing and implementing a new model for conservation. Through support from donors and innovative partnerships with Indigenous groups, governments and landholders, AWC now owns or manages 29 properties across the nation, covering 6.5 million hectares. Through this network of large-scale wildlife sanctuaries in remote and iconic regions, such as the Kimberley, Cape York, central Australia and the Top End, we protect some of the nation's most iconic and endangered wildlife including: 72 per cent of native mammal species (207 species) 88 per cent of native bird species (541 species) 54 per cent of reptile species (523 species) 54 per cent of amphibian species (127 species) With almost 80 per cent of our staff based at our sanctuaries around the county, more than 85 per cent of operational expenditure is incurred on conservation where it makes the greatest difference to Australia's native species – in the field.