Latest News

As bird flu kills Australian wildlife, experts ask Minister to back resilience claims with evidence

The Biodiversity Council is asking Environment Minister Murray Watt to publicly substantiate his claim that Australia's most vulnerable birds and mammals have been strengthened through two to three years of government investment.
Media Release

Robodebt for the environment - Rushing AI into EPBC Act assessments could repeat past policy failures

7 April 2026
The Minerals Council of Australia has called on the Australian Government to invest $13 million to embed AI tools into federal environmental approval processes, which may drive endangered species closer to extinction.
Read More
News story

Fixing Australia’s nature protection laws: Why National Environmental Standards must have clear rules

27 March 2026
The Australian Government's draft National Environmental Standards fall well short of what is needed to deliver real protection for nature. The Standards are expected to be open for public comment in April.
Read More
News story

Study finds protected areas have doubled —So why are many threatened species still unprotected?

24 March 2026
New research has found that Australia has nearly doubled the amount of land protected in just 12 years, but gains have not been in the areas most important for protecting threatened species and ecosystems.
Read More
Media Release

‘Optimistic spin’ hides worsening nature crisis in government report to UN, experts say

16 March 2026
The Biodiversity Council says the Australian Government is using spin to hide the nature loss crisis and avoid doing enough work to address it, after assessing their first report to the UN under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Read More
News story

The women who inspired these conservation science leaders

8 March 2026
To mark International Women’s Day, we asked women who have become leaders in conservation science to reflect on the women who inspired them.
Read More
News story

New analysis reveals NSW land clearing laws are failing native species

6 March 2026
New research reveals ongoing land clearing in NSW's high biodiversity value areas, including threatened species habitat, prompting urgent reform of the state's legislation.
Read More
News story

Back from extinction, now on the brink. The fight to save Victoria’s most imperilled reptile

27 February 2026
Meet the Victorian grassland earless dragon, Victoria's most imperilled reptile. Only a single wild population remains in a rapidly developing region in western Melbourne, leading to calls for the government to buy the site.
Read More
News story

Webinar: Preparing for a more volatile future

25 February 2026
Hear from our experts about how Australia can build resilience, protect nature, and support community wellbeing in a future with more frequent and severe natural disasters.
Read More
Media Release

Federal Govt rewards years of illegal jarrah forest clearing by Alcoa with “national interest” shield

19 February 2026
We have raised concern over the Federal Government’s decision to grant a national interest exemption to Alcoa, allowing the American mining giant to continue operations despite years of unauthorised clearing and failed post-mining regeneration.
Read More
News story

How Indigenous knowledge is reframing the way we protect biodiversity

18 February 2026
Dr Teagan Shields explains the importance of recognising species and ecological communities that hold cultural value to Indigenous Australians in law and decision-making.
Read More

The Biodiversity Council is a registered Australian not-for-profit charity, recognised by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), meeting national standards for integrity, transparency and accountability.

Acknowledgements

The Biodiversity Council acknowledges the First Peoples of the lands and waters of Australia, and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and future and expresses gratitude for long and ongoing custodianship of Country.

The Biodiversity Council is an independent expert group founded by 11 Australian universities to promote evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis. It receives funding from 11 university partners and The Ian Potter Foundation, The Ross Trust, Trawalla Foundation, The Rendere Trust, Isaacson Davis Foundation, Coniston Charitable Trust and Angela Whitbread.


Newsletter subscriptions

*You can read our privacy notice to learn how we handle the personal information of people who subscribe to our newsletter.


Contact

Biodiversity Council

(c/o University of Melbourne)

Faculty of Science, SAFES (Building 122)

Victoria 3010 Australia


Media enquiries:

General enquiries:

Our partners