1% for the planet, Bush Heritage
Matt Appleby with Valerie Le Maitre in Tasmania. Photo Amelia Caddy
Map of Australia showing the priority landscapes in which Bush Heritage focuses their work
Great Cormorants nesting at Naree Station Reserve. Photo by Roxane Francis from Bush Heritage Website
AWC is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, a global organisation whose members commit at least one percent of annual revenue to environmental causes. Our chosen environmental partner for 2025 was Bush Heritage Australia.
Bush Heritage is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation dedicated to protecting Australia’s unique ecosystems and wildlife. Guided by a vision of healthy Country protected forever, they combine science-led conservation with strong partnerships alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Traditional Custodians and the agricultural sector to restore and protect landscapes across the continent.
Through 1% for the Planet, AWC is proud to contribute to the vital work Bush Heritage undertakes to regenerate and safeguard Australia’s natural environment.
Bush Heritage purchases and manages land for conservation, working collaboratively with Traditional Custodians and neighbouring landholders across what they call ‘priority landscapes’, reserves that have been gifted, purchased or bequeathed for long-term protection. Today, they protect more than 1.4 million hectares of ecologically significant land chosen for its biodiversity value, landscape connectivity and conservation potential.
One remarkable example of this work is Naree Station Reserve in north-western New South Wales, one of the least disturbed and most intact areas of the Murray–Darling Basin. Located on Budjiti Country, Naree protects nationally significant wetlands and provides critical habitat for more than 187 bird species, including migratory waterbirds and threatened native wildlife. During flood events, the reserve becomes one of Australia’s most important breeding sites for waterbirds, supporting tens of thousands of birds at a time.
The reserve also demonstrates Bush Heritage’s commitment to collaborative conservation. Bush Heritage works closely with Budjiti Traditional Custodians to care for and restore the landscape, combining cultural knowledge with ecological science to protect this extraordinary environment for future generations.
We are incredibly honoured to support an organisation that works tirelessly to protect endangered ecosystems, preserve native plant and animal species, and secure a healthier future for Australia’s biodiversity.