Australia is entering a defining decade for nature. The Australian Land Conservation Alliance's updated 2030 Strategy is our roadmap to transform how Australia protects, stewards and restores nature at scale.
Australia’s long-term health, prosperity and resilience depend on the condition of our natural world. Yet nature is in crisis. Climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, and unsustainable resource use are pushing ecosystems to tipping points. Delayed systemic action and chronic underinvestment compound the challenge, leaving nature vulnerable and communities exposed.
We have the tools to turn this around. Across the country, people, communities and businesses are reimagining how we live with, depend on, and care for the natural world. Together, we are entering a new era, where caring for nature is not just an environmental necessity but a foundation for a strong, future-ready economy.
The Strategy positions ALCA and its growing network of members as a catalytic national force. It focuses on the policies, partnerships and investments needed to halt and reverse nature loss, while championing First Nations leadership, strengthening community‑led conservation, and mobilising private, public and philanthropic capital.
By 2030, ALCA envisions an Australia where nature is recovering, nature is embedded in economic and policy systems, investment in nature is mainstream and measurable, and Australians value nature as foundational to prosperity and wellbeing.
What our Strategy covers
ALCA's 2030 Strategy establishes our vision, purpose, impact goal, values and approach as the guiding foundations for our work, and operationalises these through four strategic goal areas.
Goal 1: Sector development
By 2030, Australia has a diverse, highly capable and networked land conservation sector that delivers enduring, measurable and scalable impact. ALCA will:
- Build sector-wide workforce capability by identifying skills gaps and strengthening career pathways.
- Provide learning, professional development and networking opportunities.
- Develop and apply guidelines that strengthen how non‑Indigenous organisations work with and support First Nations leadership.
- Use working groups and communities of practice to deepen expertise across thematic areas.
- Grow ALCA’s annual conference into a leading cross‑sector event attracting upward of 600 delegates.
- Expand ALCA membership strategically, with a focus on diversity and sector-wide coordination.
Goal 2: Policy and regulation
By 2030, Australia has policy and regulatory settings that enable and accelerate land conservation at scale. ALCA will:
- Champion and deliver a contemporary policy agenda that strengthens nature protection, management and restoration.
- Collaborate with members and partners to advance policy reform.
- Advocate as a trusted voice to government.
- Engage in the design of credible environmental markets and mechanisms that integrate climate and nature.
- Improve equity in participation and decision‑making for First Nations peoples.
- Leverage the collective power of the sector to weaken systemic barriers.
Goal 3: Investment
By 2030, Australia has increased public, private and philanthropic funding and finance that enables and accelerates conservation at scale. ALCA will:
- Track and publish insights on annual conservation finance flows across public, private and philanthropic sources.
- Engage with strategic enablers such as Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures, Science Based Target Network, the sustainable finance taxonomy, and related initiatives that can unlock nature investment.
- Quantify and communicate the economic, productivity, resilience and health benefits of investing in nature across sectors.
- Work with industry networks to increase understanding and support for nature investment.
- Enlist private and philanthropic partners to advocate for improved public investment.
- Build the sector’s capacity to identify, harness and scale nature finance opportunities, including through project aggregation, blended finance structures and the conservation finance network.
Goal 4: Valuing nature
By 2030, Australians understand, value and actively support nature conservation, recognising nature as foundational to healthy communities and economies. ALCA will:
- Strengthen our position as a credible and trusted national voice for nature.
- Elevate a unified sector voice through coordinated messaging and communications support for members.
- Improve the visibility of sector contributions by enhancing impact measurement and reporting.
- Support a diverse coalition of voices that champion land conservation, including through campaigns like Our Natural Legacy and joint initiatives such as the Nature Media Centre.
- Grow participation in conservation - especially in-perpetuity agreements and Indigenous-led approaches - through partnerships, campaigns and shared communications.
