Our Story

Australia is in the midst of an extinction crisis. More than 1,890 species are formally listed as threatened, and many more are silently slipping away. Most of these plants and animals exist nowhere else on Earth. If we lose them, they are gone forever.

For decades, our founders worked in government, zoos, and conservation organisations. They saw the crisis unfolding up close — the habitat lost, the species declining, the gaps where no one was acting. They knew science and passion weren’t enough on their own. What was missing was an independent organisation that could act quickly, cross boundaries, and focus on the species too often overlooked.

That’s why the Threatened Species Conservancy was born.

We exist to give Australia’s most imperilled and forgotten species a future. We work across public and private land, beyond fences and beyond the icons, running targeted recovery programs for species across their range. From the smallest insect to the rarest bird, we believe every species matters.

Our logo proudly features the Mallee Emu-wren (Stipiturus mallee), one of Australia’s tiniest and most endangered birds. This fragile species survives only in dense spinifex habitats of the mallee, and has become our ambassador because it symbolises so much of what we fight for: small, easily forgotten species that nonetheless play an irreplaceable role in keeping ecosystems alive. Like many of the species we champion, the Mallee Emu-wren reminds us that even the smallest voices deserve to be heard.

But we cannot do it alone. Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. We work with Traditional Owners, governments, landholders, scientists, communities, NGOs and the corporate sector — and with people like you. Together, we deliver hands-on recovery actions, raise awareness, and connect people back to the natural world through citizen science and community engagement.

Every project we run is proof that extinction is not inevitable. With the right action, hope is possible. With your support, we can turn the tide for Australia’s threatened species.