How your bushfire recovery donation is making a difference

Every dollar has an impact

The scale of Australia’s bushfires during the summer of 2019-20 was unprecedented and catastrophic. Thirty four people tragically lost their lives, almost 3,000 homes were lost and the impact on our forests and wildlife was immense. Over 12 million hectares of forest and woodlands were burnt, and nearly 3 billion animals impacted, pushing many of our threatened species, including the koala, to the brink of extinction.


The global response to this crisis was immediate and overwhelming. WWF-Australia is deeply touched by the incredible generosity shown by supporters and partners across the country and around the world. With your help, we were able to act quickly and at scale to get emergency funds to the frontline and mobilise our resources to plan the essential work that would be needed to help get Australia’s wildlife on the road to recovery once the fires were out. Since then, we have been working across the country to assess the loss, protect and restore habitat and strength laws to protect endangered species.

Here’s how your donation has been making a difference

So far we have been proud to support 148 projects and more than 175 partnerships across the country.

Our bushfire funds are being deployed over multiple years to deliver long-term restoration plans, as well as through investment in large-scale, high impact regeneration projects.

Some highlights of our bushfire work include:

• Partnering with over 40 wildlife rescue and care organisations in bushfire zones to respond to the emergency at scale.
• Helping to establish and equip Australia’s largest mobile wildlife hospital, based in Byron Bay.
• Installing over 1,000 wildlife monitoring cameras across bushfire affected areas.
• Planting nearly 250,000 trees, including more than 81,000 koala food and habitat trees.
• Engaging more than 100 landholders in restoration projects to restore koala corridors and habitat.
• Supporting the restoration of 9,994 ha of habitat.
• Investing $1.32 million into innovative projects designed to help wildlife survive and recover from future bushfires.
• Supporting 13 Indigenous-led projects with $3.7 million.
• Supporting 70 vets, vet nurses and vet students to undertake training in wildlife treatment and care.

The Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund

The WWF Australian Wildlife and Nature Recovery Fund was established in January 2020 in response to the catastrophic bushfires of 2019-20. The fund delivers:

Wildlife response: partnering with wildlife response organisations, communities and scientists nationally for swift and effective recovery at scale.

Habitat restoration for people and nature: restoring forests and homes for wildlife, stopping deforestation, cultivating habitat connectivity, core landscapes and Indigenous and rural fire management.

Future-proofing Australia: driving innovative solutions to help reduce climate change, driving climate preparedness, species adaptation and long-term wildlife and nature conservation efforts towards securing Australia’s natural resources for people and nature.

We couldn’t do any of this work without the generosity of our supporters in Australia and around the world. Join us on this journey. Together it’s possible.

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