Can you give a little kindness to the Otways?

The Otways are home to some of Victoria’s most spectacular forests, coastlines, and wildlife. But these ecosystems are under threat from invasive species, climate-driven wildfires and other severe weather events, and ongoing habitat loss.

At the Conservation Ecology Centre, we’ve spent 25 years on the ground in the Otways, protecting nature through science-based conservation research, building strong partnerships with Traditional Owners and community, and collaborative action with diverse land managers across this multi-tenured landscape.  

We’re a nimble, independent non-profit organisation.  And every dollar we raise goes toward real conservation outcomes.

Thanks to your support, we’ve already:

• Planted over 100,000 trees to restore koala habitat on Cape Otway.

• Protected rare plant species like the Tall Astelia.

• Tackled invasive species through landscape-scale feral animal control.

• Conducted ground-breaking fire ecology research to protect threatened mammals.

• Expanded our work to Sea Country, partnering with Eastern Maar Traditional Owners to weave Indigenous ecological knowledge with marine science understandings.

• Provided meaningful conservation and research experience to over 100 young environmental scientists.

• Brought together hundreds of experts, land managers, and community members to shape the future of Otways conservation.

But the challenges are intensifying.  Climate change is manifesting itself dramatically across Australia.  Wildfires are starting earlier and in places we haven’t seen them before.  Flooding events are becoming more frequent.  Invasive species are spreading through lack of long-term political vision and control programs.  And funding is tighter than ever.

We need your help to keep our boots on the ground.

Your tax-deductible donation will directly support:

• Control of destructive feral animals for our ecosystems and small mammals.

• Long-term climate resilience projects across Otways forests.

• Traditional Owner-led conservation efforts in our coastal and marine environments.

• Management of woody shrub encroachment that’s making our landscapes more flammable.

• Community education and ecological research that informs action.

• Protection of the last stronghold for some of our most threatened species.