Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
The Australian Charity Awards program recognises charitable organisations that have achieved outstanding results through initiatives that have significantly benefited charitable causes. The Australian Charity Award for Outstanding Achievement [OAA] is presented, culminating in an overall winner for The Australian Charity of the Year [CHY]. Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife has been selected as Charity of the Year in The Australian Charity Awards 2021.
“We are so honoured to be acknowledged as Australia’s Charity of the Year. Our passionate team has worked tirelessly with our nursery, corporate and government partners to launch our Bushfire Recovery Nursery project and ensure the planting of one million trees by 2025. We are deeply thankful to the many volunteers who support this project by planting the trees and overall, making a positive contribution to the wider community.
“The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife has achieved many milestones in our 50 plus years in Australia. It has and always will be our mission to support the conservation of Australia’s wilderness and wildlife for the next generation.”
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) is the charity partner of Australia’s National Parks dedicated to growing National Parks and saving endangered species in Australia. It is sustainably funded by government partners and a diverse and dynamic donor circle from all sectors of the community to ensure its ongoing work.
Operating for over 50 years, FNPW funds conservation projects across Australia to safeguard wilderness and wildlife for future generations. The Foundation has been instrumental in raising over $60 million in funding for the conservation of Australia’s environment and has supported the acquisition of over 630,000 hectares of land for National Parks across Australia.
As part of its programs, FNPW developed a unique program, together with the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, called Wildlife Heroes. Supported by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust, Wildlife Heroes has been supporting wildlife rescue and rehabilitation across Australia. The program aids over 15,000 wildlife volunteers nationally who operate as emergency first responders. During the Black Summer, Wildlife Heroes was one of the first programs to supply bushfire emergency funds to 20 wildlife groups in need, with many still caring for sick and injured animals to this day.
Backyard Buddies is a free, national educational initiative from FNPW that provides simple tips to help transform backyards into safe habitat havens; ultimately contributing to Australia’s green corridors to help support the Big Backyard – Australia’s National Parks. It is supported by schools, councils, Catchment Management Authorities and community members across Australia
Following the devastating impact of the 2019/2020 bushfire season, FNPW created its ‘Bushfire Recovery Nursery Project’ with the mission to plant one million trees in bushfire affected regions across Australia by 2025. In order to do this, FNPW supplies grants to expand existing community nurseries and organisations to propagate native plants for erosion prevention and restore native wildlife habitats. Seedlings are established from indigenous tree species in each of the nursery locations.
Bushfire Recovery Nurseries are the first step in significant replanting following the impact of the bushfires on tree species’ in gravely affected areas. FNPW is working with governments and community partners to assess priority areas in NSW, ACT, Victoria and South Australia. Trees from the Bushfire Recovery Nurseries will then be transported to national parks across Australia, as well as other public and private lands that have been affected by bushfires.
With the support of key partners One Tree Planted and L’Occitane Australia, FNPW has since awarded grants to nine Bushfire Recovery Nurseries in NSW, ACT and SA, with more to follow.
For further information, visit fnpw.org.au