Climate information for wildlife conservation

Climate change poses a growing challenge for conserving Australia’s unique wildlife and protected places. Increasing heatwaves, droughts, and floods — along with gradual shifts in temperature and rainfall patterns — are transforming ecosystems, making it harder to protect threatened species. To adapt, conservation planning needs to be informed by the best available climate data.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), Australia’s largest non-profit on-ground conservation organisation, is leading the charge by developing a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy to guide conservation efforts across more than 6.8 million hectares of land. This strategy aims to support decision-making around key conservation activities, such as species reintroductions, land acquisitions, and habitat management.

To ensure the strategy is based on the best climate information available, AWC partnered with researchers from the NESP Climate Systems Hub. Together, they explored future climate projections, with a particular focus on drought risk, to assess the vulnerability of species and ecosystems across AWC properties.

Read the full case study to discover how data-driven strategies are enhancing wildlife conservation efforts in a changing climate.