Fauna & Flora International Australia

Innovative conservation strategies for an iconic region

The James N. Kirby Foundation is supporting conservation in this, the International Year of Biodiversity, via an important partnership with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Australia.

Who is Fauna & Flora International?

FFI is the world’s oldest conservation organisation, established in 1903. We are striving to secure a sustainable future for the planet, by working with the people and communities that depend on it.
Our work in Australia.

With our Australian partner, the Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG), we are working to conserve one ofAustralia’s most beautiful and iconic regions encompassing two world heritage sites – Fraser Island and the Southern point of the Great Barrier Reef.

With its increasing human population, land clearing and the effects of climate change, this region is now under threat. The Kirby Foundation is helping FFI Australia and BMRG achieve the following:

  • Global recognition of the importance of the area through its recognition from the United Nations as a UNESCO Great Sandy Biosphere.
  • Partnership with the Indigenous community in natural resource management and conservation of the region through: Knowledge recording – capturing vital indigenous ecological knowledge, (combining it with modern conservation strategies to protect the area); Development of Indigenous employment opportunities and the creation of a self-sufficient Natural Resource Management working crew.
  • A conservation strategy aimed at increasing ecosystem health and function via stakeholder engagement and using innovative conservation mechanisms.

This valuable work can only be achieved with the generous support of far-sighted philanthropists such as the James N. Kirby Foundation. FFI Australia extends its sincere thanks for your support.

Rachel Etherington
Director of Development, Fauna & Flora International Australia

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