Environmental Resilience

Odonata Foundation

Odonata Foundation is dedicated to protecting Australia’s endangered native species. With support from NAB Foundation, Odonata is expanding its ‘We Save Species Recovery Model’, working with landholders to rebuild genetically strong populations of threatened wildlife, including the eastern quoll, mainland eastern barred bandicoot, and southern brush-tailed rock wallaby.

NAB Foundation’s support will contribute to Odonata’s “500-in-5” programme, which aims to boost populations of at least nine threatened species by establishing a minimum of 500 individuals across five or more safe havens and wild sites. The funding is helping to facilitate the strategic movement of animals between sites to maintain genetic diversity, establish new populations and protect them against threats such as fires and floods.

Odonata’s approach empowers landholders to create safe habitats where wildlife and farming can thrive together. These species act as ecosystem engineers, improving soil health, water retention, and farm productivity, while also supporting climate resilience.

Bush Heritage Australia

Bush Heritage Australia is a leading not-for-profit conservation organisation with over 30 years of experience protecting Australia’s unique ecosystems, wildlife and landscapes.

With support from NAB Foundation, Bush Heritage is advancing a 600-hectare biodiverse restoration project at ‘Dodgey Downs’ reserve in southwest Western Australia. This project sits within the Fitz-Stirling landscape, aiming to connect the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Parks and create vital habitat corridors for native wildlife.

NAB Foundation’s support enables specialist carbon, soil, and vegetation mapping, cultural heritage surveys with the Goreng Noongar Traditional Custodians, and development approvals, which will lay the groundwork for large-scale ecological restoration. The project will serve as a demonstration site, showing how nature-based solutions can both capture carbon and protect biodiversity.

Greening Australia and World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (WWF-Australia)

NAB Foundation supported Greening Australia and World Wide Fund for Nature – Australia, with their Climate-ready Restoration partnership to improve the long-term resilience of the Australian environment and help prepare people and nature for a changing climate.

The project allowed Greening Australia and WWF-Australia to test and develop nature-based solutions such as green firebreaks – carefully designed, planted areas of lower flammability vegetation that can measurably reduce bushfire risk under certain conditions.

The project involved engagement with First Nations peoples to assess the feasibility of cultural burning and other Indigenous-led land management practices, and a rewilding program to increase landscape resilience and improve species persistence.

Beyond NAB Foundation funding, NAB supported this partnership with time and expertise. A team of 13 NAB colleagues provided a total of 1,040 hours of skilled volunteer time to Greening Australia and WWF-Australia.