Boarding flight to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Amazon Australia has announced an AU$2.5 million investment to help save some of Australia’s most endangered species, including the eastern quoll, eastern barred bandicoot and southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby. This three-year project, made possible by Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund in collaboration with Odonata Foundation, will support key conservation activities including breeding programs to boost population numbers, maintenance of wildlife sanctuaries, the movement of animals between sites, and educational tours to raise public awareness about endangered species conservation.
Odonata Foundation has pioneered a species recovery model, called “500-in-5”, which improves chances of survival of a threatened species by maintaining at least 500 animals of a species across a minimum of five different locations. This approach serves two crucial purposes: the population size helps maintain genetic resilience, while multiple sites provide redundancy should a climate-related disaster occur – if one location faces challenges like fire, flood, or drought, the other sites can continue supporting the species.
“Australia has one of the world’s highest rates of species extinction. With climate change and natural disasters increasing, we must act now to protect our iconic native animals,” said Nigel Sharp, Founder and Chair of the Odonata Foundation. “Our innovative recovery model represents a world-first in species conservation.”
Amazon’s funding will enable Odonata to expand their recovery programs at Mt Rothwell Sanctuary located 50km from Melbourne, and the sites they operate across Australia. In August, Odonata celebrated a milestone when six critically endangered southern brush-tailed rock-wallabies were safely relocated to establish a new colony in the Australian Capital Territory. These native species play a vital role in maintaining healthy Australian landscapes. The conservation of each species delivers significant ecological benefits beyond their individual recovery. For example, the eastern barred bandicoot naturally turns over three tonnes of soil each year, which helps spread seeds and makes the land more resistant to floods and droughts.
“By helping rebuild healthy populations of threatened species, we’re investing in the future of Australia’s unique wildlife,” said Janet Menzies, Amazon Australia Country Manager. “What’s exciting about Odonata’s approach is that it can be scaled up to help endangered species around the world. The project will combine the latest genetic research with climate data to give these species the best chance of survival as temperatures rise, and extreme weather events increase.”
This is Amazon’s first Australian project funded through its Right Now Climate Fund, a $100 million initiative supporting climate resilience and nature conservation in communities around the world. Since the fund was created in 2019, Amazon has disbursed US$67.4 million to finance 20 projects across 15 countries.
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