Odonata is an Australian Environmental Organisation that is saving endangered animals and regenerating landscapes, while increasing profitability for landholders.

Since its inception, Odonata has protected over 49,000ha of habitat, engaged with 7 First Nations groups, worked with hundreds of businesses, farms, entrepreneurs and citizen scientists. It manages programs for multiple threatened species and has been instrumental in changing the extinction trajectory of both the Eastern Quoll and the Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby. Their work has down-listed the Eastern Barred Bandicoot from extinct in the wild to endangered, and they have also established Australia’s leading Bush Stone-curlew breeding program. All of this is an incredible feat in itself but their work goes far beyond this.

Odonata’s solutions are designed to halt and reverse extinction rates for key mammals, while building better landscapes where they can thrive in the future. Sustainable finance and innovation are also a big part of how they find new solutions. Bold business leaders, landholders, philanthropists and investors are key to them realising their vision. As well as using next generation technology and digital evolution to supporting their work.

What I find most interesting is the impact the Eastern Barred Bandicoot has on landscape regeneration. Working as “soil engineers” they massively improve soil quality and moisture retention. Odonata now has a project where the Eastern Barred Bandicoot has been released onto sheep grazing land to improve soil quality and land productivity. The net effect is reduced pesticides, fertilisers and the encouraging of native grasses to regenerate. This species, brought back from the brink, is now helping farmers produce better quality wool. The aim is to replicate this across many more properties in Victoria and to one day join them all up.

Odonata’s 30-30-30 STRATEGY aims to establish a sanctuary network and supporting intiatives, scaling to 30 Sanctuaries, halting the extinction of 30 threatened species by the year 2030. Working alongside and in collaboration with Traditional Owners in recognition of their connection to Country and in support of pathways to self-determination, land ownership, and the continuation of knowledge and culture sharing.

Australia faces one of the world’s highest rates of species extinction, largely due to the displacement of Traditional Owners and other impacts of colonisation. This loss significantly impacts the country’s most biodiverse and culturally significant areas. Australia is at a pivotal stage where intervention can still prevent further extinctions. Restoring the land management techniques of First Nations people can help to reverse biodiversity loss and protect identified cultural sites.

There is loads mores stuff on the Odonata website and all the great projects and initiatives they are involved in: https://odonata.org.au/

Photos by: Annette Ruzicka Via The Guardian