Conservation Co-Investment Partnerships

Saving our Species is currently calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from organisations in New South Wales to co-invest on conservation projects to benefit threatened species and ecological communities.

Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii) juvenile maleThe co-investment program was first developed in 2018 as a funding delivery model for landscape-managed species and threatened ecological communities. This has proven to be a successful model for large-scale projects and Saving our Species is looking for more interested groups and organisations to continue with this initiative beyond 2021. The more people, organisations, resources and expertise we can devote to our threatened species, means the more we can achieve for our plants and animals facing extinction.

All applications are welcome, including non-governmental organisations, community groups, Aboriginal groups, corporate entities and universities. Please note, a valid ABN or ACN is a requirement for application. If you have the expertise, resources, technology, or a pool of volunteers that can support on-ground actions for threatened species, please apply to become a Conservation Co-Investment partner.

What we are looking for

Your organisation, or consortium, should be experienced in delivering large-scale conservation projects, for example, habitat restoration or rehabilitation.

You will be required to mobilise a workforce to undertake on-ground activities, so it would be preferable if you have strong volunteer support. Ideally, you will have an existing network of corporate and philanthropic relationships because you will need to be able to provide, or source, a cash contribution towards funding your planned conservation project. Saving our Species will also invest in the project through a grant payment.

The request for Expressions of Interest opens on Tuesday 30 November 2021 and closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 23 January 2022. Your submission must be lodged electronically to the Saving our Species Mailbox: savingourspecies@environment.nsw.gov.au.


Download Expressions of Interest criteria

Download Expressions of Interest Q&A

Submit your Expressions of Interest via the Saving our Species mailbox: savingourspecies@environment.nsw.gov.au

Why are we doing this

The co-investment scheme is a co-funding model. Partners are required to source financial contributions to match government investment in this model.

Leveraging funding provides greater benefits to threatened species and ecological communities, by increasing the number of threatened species projects that can be delivered. This contributes to achieving the long-term Saving our Species program aim of securing threatened entities in the wild for 100 years.

Saving our Species (SoS) will be co-funding between $2 million to $2.5 million as part of this co-funding model. This investment is from the additional $75 million that has been allocated by the NSW Government to continue Saving our Species over the next 5 years (2021-26).

Expressions of Interest governance

A probity adviser will be engaged through the appropriate NSW Government prequalification scheme to oversee the Expressions of Interest process to ensure fair and transparent decisions.

Decision points

Once submissions to the EOI are received and evaluated, a Request for Proposals may be undertaken if it is necessary to prioritise between several identified potential partners. Following the evaluation, Saving our Species will negotiate the agreement with the successful organisations.

Legislative commitment

The co-investment program is consistent with the Biodiversity Conservation Program under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Previous co-investment partners

See below for previous co-investment partners who helped make the program such a success. The continuation of this vital work with existing and new partners is essential to maintain and improve our previous investment from 2018-21.

One of the largest and most successful Landcare groups in Australia, its mission is promoting, facilitating and undertaking long-term restoration and ongoing care of critically-endangered lowland subtropical rainforest.

The SoS co-invested project restores and facilitates the recovery of important remnants of endangered lowland subtropical rainforest in the Big Scrub region, improving the habitat and survival of the many landscape-managed threatened species that depend on it.

Donate to Big Scrub Landcare

Brolga (Grus rubicunda)Bush Heritage is an independent not-for-profit that buys and manages land and partners with Aboriginal people, to protect our irreplaceable landscapes and magnificent native species.

Located across 2 remote reserves in the rangelands of north-west NSW, Bush Heritage's first co-invested project focuses on conserving endangered Coolibah-Black Box Woodland. The second project extends and enhances habitat for threatened woodland bird species in the South West Slopes region of southern NSW.

Donate to Bush Heritage Australia

Squirrel gliderAs the charity partner of Australia's national parks, the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife is on a mission to protect Australia's ecosystems and native species for generations to come. Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW) is working on 3 co-investment projects with their various partners.

In north-east NSW, FNPW has joined with the Border Ranges Alliance to deliver their 'Trails for Tails' SoS co-investment project, which focuses on learning more about and conserving the shy and wary Albert's lyrebird and other threatened bird species.

FNPW is also working with the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala Link (K2W) Conservation Partnership. This SoS co-investment project will add another district to the successful K2W Link program. While this project targets the squirrel glider, restoring the K2W natural landscape corridor is vital to the long-term survival of many native Great Eastern Ranges threatened species.

In partnership with BirdLife Australia, FNPW's third SoS co-investment project is Nectar-Lovers. This project aims to restore food sources and habitat connectivity for threatened nectar feeding bird species in the South West Slopes region of southern NSW.

Donate to the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife

With a vision of 'healthy, productive landscapes where people and nature thrive', Greening Australia is an independent not-for-profit organisation operating around the country.

Greening Australia's Great Southern Landscapes Program aims to restore 300,000 hectares and establish 450 million Indigenous plants by 2030. Their SoS co-investment project focuses on restoring and enhancing the superb parrot's habitat in the Riverina region of south-west NSW.

Donate to Greening Australia

Molonglo Conservation Group facilitates strategic collaborative partnerships and programs across the southern tablelands of the ACT and NSW. With a vision of facilitating a healthy, resilient and productive landscape, they connect the region's land management stakeholders and partners to build knowledge, stakeholder capability and environmental outcomes.

This SoS co-investment project aims to extend and maintain habitat for the pink-tailed worm lizard and conserve Box-Gum Woodland in southern NSW.

Your contribution will help the project reach more landholders, protect more habitat and increase the opportunities for everyone in the community to get involved.

Donate to Molonglo Conservation Group

Pair of Barking Owls Ninox connivensRepresenting more than 150 organisations, the Nature Conservation Council (NCC) is the 'voice for nature in NSW'.

Within the NCC, the Healthy Ecosystems team works in partnership and collaboration with Government agencies, consortiums and associations to provide high quality community engagement, education and training services to communities. Our team implements coordinated strategies to improve the function of ecosystems and resilience of our landscapes. Find out more about the NCC's work.

Building on strategic partnerships formed over the last decade, the NCC's SoS co-investment project protects and maintains populations of large forest owls across the Richmond Clarence Lowlands. To find out more or get involved go to the Large Forest Owls Project page.

Donate to Nature Conservation Council