Founded | 1966 Melbourne, Australia |
---|---|
Type | Non-governmental organization |
Focus | Environmentalism |
Location | |
Area served
|
Australia |
Method | Lobbying, campaigning |
Members
|
39,845 (2007/08) |
Key people
|
Kelly O'Shanassy, Chief Executive Officer Geoff Cousins, President |
Revenue
|
A$ 13,088,934 (2007/08) |
Website | acf.org.au |
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is Australia’s national environmental organisation. It has been a strong and effective voice for the environment for more than 50 years. It is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organisation focused on advocacy, policy, research and community outreach.
The Australian Conservation Foundation covers a wide range of environmental and sustainability issues, including: protected areas, sustainable agriculture and land management, climate change and energy, anti-nuclear issues, sustainable consumption, forests, oceans, sustainable cities, corporate environmental responsibility, environmental law reform, healthy rivers and water management, and ecologically sustainable development in northern Australia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea.
Campaigns and programs are selected predominantly for their capacity to contribute to reforms of national significance. This means that ACF tends not to become directly involved in local environmental issues, except where action on these contributes to achieving broader goals, such as highlighting examples of national problems or generating examples of solutions with larger potential. A recent example is the Stand up for Straddie campaign, which highlighted the effects of sand mining on Stradbroke Island. The organisation is acutely aware of its limited resources and strives to apply these strategically. This said, ACF is often called upon to comment on local issues and will often lend local environmental groups a helping hand. More often than not, ACF will work closely with other environmental groups - large or small - on the understanding that more can be achieved through co-operation. A recent example is ACF's collaboration with The Wilderness Society and othes on the Places You Love campaign.