# A$25 Million Gift Backs AWC's Ambition to Reach 5% of Australia

> MKNIRALO — Environment — Australia · Conservation

- Published: 2026-11-08
- Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
- Byline: Selene — Nature Policy & Biodiversity Observer
- Byline disclosure: Selene is a house editorial byline maintained by MKNIRALO, not a claim of an independently verified individual. It does not imply on-site conference access, scientific credentials or personal interviews; articles are grounded in public documents and independent reporting.
- Author profile: https://mkniralo.com/authors/selene/
- Tags: Australia, Wildlife Conservation, Biodiversity, Feral Cats, Threatened Species, Conservation Funding
- Cover image: https://mkniralo.com/images/australia-wildlife-conservancy-25-million-gift-2026.svg

The Wright Burt Foundation's A$25 million gift will support strategic land acquisitions, threatened-species management and feral-cat control as Australian Wildlife Conservancy pursues a 2035 expansion target.

An A$25 million gift from the Wright Burt Foundation is giving Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) a substantial new resource for buying land, managing threatened wildlife and reducing pressure from feral cats. Announced on 5 November by Perth couple Alexandra and Julian Burt, the gift forms part of a broader A$120 million commitment to 10 conservation and environmental organisations. AWC says the money will accelerate its expansion; its public announcement describes a larger conservation programme, not a species-by-species grant schedule.

## A large gift with a defined job

AWC's announcement describes the A$25 million as a gift to support strategic land acquisitions, new sanctuaries and increased management of threatened wildlife. Chief executive Tim Allard said it would also help restore critical habitat and reduce threats from invasive species such as feral cats. The Foundation's directors, Alexandra and Julian Burt, have worked with AWC at Bullo River Station in the Northern Territory since 2018. The contribution therefore builds on an established relationship between the donors and the conservation organisation, rather than arriving as an isolated public gesture.

AWC says it is already putting the funding to work as it expands conservation programmes across Australia, pointing to the acquisition of Boulder Wildlife Sanctuary on King Island in Tasmania. Its public release does not give a drawdown schedule, a project-by-project budget or a breakdown of how much has been spent. That distinction matters: a committed gift is real financial backing, but the eventual conservation result will depend on where the money is deployed, what management follows a purchase and how progress is measured.

Sources:
- [Landmark $25 million gift to accelerate wildlife conservation](https://www.australianwildlife.org/en-us/news-and-resources/press-release/landmark-25-million-gift-to-accelerate-wildlife-conservation) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy

## What the 1.7% footprint actually measures

AWC says its contribution to conservation now spans about 1.7% of Australia. That figure combines more than 6.8 million hectares that it directly owns, manages or works across in partnership with another 6.1 million hectares where strategic pastoral partnerships help influence conservation outcomes. It is therefore broader than a tally of land owned by AWC or formally set aside as a sanctuary. The distinction is central to understanding both the scale of its current work and the ambition behind the new gift.

Under its 2025–2035 Strategic Plan, AWC wants to extend its impact to more than 5% of the continent. The plan envisages doing so through land acquisition, stronger partnerships with First Nations communities, governments, pastoral operators and private landholders, and habitat protection across working landscapes. AWC frames the target as impact and influence, not as a claim that it will own or convert one-twentieth of Australia into fenced reserves. That wording matters when comparing its ambition with formal protected-area targets.

Sources:
- [Landmark $25 million gift to accelerate wildlife conservation](https://www.australianwildlife.org/en-us/news-and-resources/press-release/landmark-25-million-gift-to-accelerate-wildlife-conservation) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [Our 10-year strategy](https://www.australianwildlife.org/about-us/our-10-year-strategy) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [One giant leap for bettongs released into sanctuary as wildlife conservancy aims to operate on 5% of Australia](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/04/one-giant-leap-for-bettongs-released-into-sanctuary-as-wildlife-conservancy-aims-to-operate-on-5-of-australia) — The Guardian

## Predator control is an ongoing field operation

Buying land is only the first step. Introduced predators, especially feral cats and foxes, have contributed to the decline of many small native mammals; AWC has built fenced safe havens where vulnerable animals can recover from those pressures. In 2025, The Guardian reported that an 8,000-hectare fenced safe haven at Mount Gibson had grown a brush-tailed bettong population from 162 animals released in 2015 to about 1,000. The same report described eight threatened mammal species reintroduced at the former sheep property after they had become locally extinct there.

Outside fences, predator control is a continuing and technically difficult task. AWC's October 2026 Cat Camp brought Indigenous rangers, expert trackers and staff together to share ecological knowledge and improve how teams locate cats and target trapping. The organisation says tracking can help direct control teams to high-activity areas, but also notes that cats are difficult to detect and catch across large landscapes. That makes feral-cat management an ongoing field operation, not a one-time purchase or a simple line item.

Sources:
- [One giant leap for bettongs released into sanctuary as wildlife conservancy aims to operate on 5% of Australia](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/04/one-giant-leap-for-bettongs-released-into-sanctuary-as-wildlife-conservancy-aims-to-operate-on-5-of-australia) — The Guardian
- [Cat Camp 2026: sharing knowledge to strengthen feral cat management](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/news/cat-camp-2026) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy

## Bilbies and wombats show the work's range

Two species illustrate the range of AWC's work, but neither should be presented as receiving a ring-fenced share of this gift: the organisation's public announcement does not publish species-by-species allocations. AWC's 2025 science update says greater bilbies were among seven reintroduced mammal species at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary meeting or exceeding success criteria. That is evidence of an existing conservation programme, not proof that the new A$25 million has been assigned specifically to bilby recovery.

The northern hairy-nosed wombat shows a different challenge. In an October 2026 update, AWC said the species' total population was estimated at just over 400 and that Richard Underwood Nature Refuge was one of only three populations; AWC has managed the refuge since 2022. Researchers were also investigating the genetic diversity of the population there. These examples help explain the long-term science and management that a larger conservation budget can support, without promising a recovery timetable or a guaranteed population increase.

Sources:
- [Landmark $25 million gift to accelerate wildlife conservation](https://www.australianwildlife.org/en-us/news-and-resources/press-release/landmark-25-million-gift-to-accelerate-wildlife-conservation) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [Conservation in action: highlights from AWC's science program](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/news/conservation-in-action) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [Who’s your daddy? Juvenile wombat’s DNA could solve genetic mystery](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/press-release/whos-your-daddy-juvenile-wombats-dna-could-solve-genetic-mystery) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy

## One part of a ten-organisation commitment

The AWC gift is one component of a wider A$120 million commitment from the Wright Burt Foundation to 10 conservation and environmental organisations. Independent reporting says AWC, Bush Heritage Australia and Greenpeace Australia Pacific each receive A$25 million; BirdLife Australia and Great Southern Land Conservancy each receive A$10 million, while five other organisations receive about A$5.33 million apiece. The mix spans land management and threatened-species recovery as well as environmental campaigning, so the package is not one centrally managed field programme.

Other recipients have described their own uses. BirdLife Australia says its A$10 million allocation will help put a recovery plan for the critically endangered Kyloring, or Western Ground Parrot, into action. Rainforest Rescue says its A$5.33 million gift will support the Daintree Oxbow programme, including land conservation and long-term organisational capacity. Those separate announcements show how the foundation's wider commitment is being channelled into distinct projects rather than a single national conservation fund.

Sources:
- [Wright Burt Foundation's $10 million gift to save one of Australia's rarest birds](https://birdlife.org.au/news/wright-burt-foundations-10-million-gift-to-save-one-of-australias-rarest-birds/) — BirdLife Australia
- [Largest gift in Rainforest Rescue’s history will help conserve the Daintree Oxbow](https://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/largest-gift-in-rainforest-rescues-history/) — Rainforest Rescue
- [Australian iron ore billionaire Alexandra Burt gives $84 million to environmental groups](https://www.billionaires.africa/2026/11/05/australian-iron-ore-billionaire-alexandra-burt-gives-84-million-to-environmental-groups/) — Billionaires.Africa

## The 2035 test is ecological, not just geographic

The 5% ambition will be judged by more than a map. AWC's strategy sets the geographic target alongside goals for threatened-species protection and recovery, and describes a science-led model that relies on monitoring and adaptive management. Its published work includes biodiversity surveys, genetic studies, camera monitoring and assessments of whether reintroduced populations are meeting success criteria. Those are the kinds of indicators that can show whether newly acquired land is functioning as habitat, rather than merely enlarging an organisation's conservation footprint.

The gift materially improves AWC's capacity to pursue that work, but it does not settle the ecological questions. Land purchases must be followed by sustained control of invasive predators, careful habitat management, partnerships with Traditional Owners and local landholders, and evidence that species populations are improving. AWC's 2035 goal is ambitious; the A$25 million commitment gives it more room to act. Whether that becomes durable recovery will be measured in healthier ecosystems and surviving wildlife, not the headline figure alone. Public reporting should therefore track more than hectares added: it should show habitat condition, the intensity and continuity of predator control, and repeat surveys that reveal whether populations are stabilising or growing. Those measures make it possible to distinguish a larger conservation footprint from a demonstrably safer future for the species within it.

Sources:
- [Landmark $25 million gift to accelerate wildlife conservation](https://www.australianwildlife.org/en-us/news-and-resources/press-release/landmark-25-million-gift-to-accelerate-wildlife-conservation) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [Our 10-year strategy](https://www.australianwildlife.org/about-us/our-10-year-strategy) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [One giant leap for bettongs released into sanctuary as wildlife conservancy aims to operate on 5% of Australia](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/04/one-giant-leap-for-bettongs-released-into-sanctuary-as-wildlife-conservancy-aims-to-operate-on-5-of-australia) — The Guardian
- [Cat Camp 2026: sharing knowledge to strengthen feral cat management](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/news/cat-camp-2026) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy
- [Conservation in action: highlights from AWC's science program](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/news/conservation-in-action) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy

## About this article

This article reflects the public sources available on the publication and update dates shown above. For developing stories, follow the linked source pages for subsequent statements or decisions.

## Sources and further reading

- [Landmark $25 million gift to accelerate wildlife conservation](https://www.australianwildlife.org/en-us/news-and-resources/press-release/landmark-25-million-gift-to-accelerate-wildlife-conservation) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy (published 2026-11-05) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Our 10-year strategy](https://www.australianwildlife.org/about-us/our-10-year-strategy) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [One giant leap for bettongs released into sanctuary as wildlife conservancy aims to operate on 5% of Australia](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/04/one-giant-leap-for-bettongs-released-into-sanctuary-as-wildlife-conservancy-aims-to-operate-on-5-of-australia) — The Guardian (published 2025-08-03) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Cat Camp 2026: sharing knowledge to strengthen feral cat management](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/news/cat-camp-2026) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy (published 2026-10-14) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Conservation in action: highlights from AWC's science program](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/news/conservation-in-action) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy (published 2025-08-12) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Who’s your daddy? Juvenile wombat’s DNA could solve genetic mystery](https://www.australianwildlife.org/news-and-resources/press-release/whos-your-daddy-juvenile-wombats-dna-could-solve-genetic-mystery) — Australian Wildlife Conservancy (published 2026-10-22) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Wright Burt Foundation's $10 million gift to save one of Australia's rarest birds](https://birdlife.org.au/news/wright-burt-foundations-10-million-gift-to-save-one-of-australias-rarest-birds/) — BirdLife Australia (published 2026-11-05) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Largest gift in Rainforest Rescue’s history will help conserve the Daintree Oxbow](https://www.rainforestrescue.org.au/largest-gift-in-rainforest-rescues-history/) — Rainforest Rescue (published 2026-11-05) (accessed 2026-11-07)
- [Australian iron ore billionaire Alexandra Burt gives $84 million to environmental groups](https://www.billionaires.africa/2026/11/05/australian-iron-ore-billionaire-alexandra-burt-gives-84-million-to-environmental-groups/) — Billionaires.Africa (published 2026-11-05) (accessed 2026-11-07)