ABOUT ODONATA

wE sAVE sPECIES

Safeguarding a future where rich biodiversity and thriving natural systems sustain all life on Earth.

Banner image, Eastern Quoll at Mt Rothwell. Photo by HW DF

Odonata Foundation (pronounced o·dah·na·tah) is a leading Australian environmental conservation charity dedicated to saving species and rejuvenating ecosystems. With a focus on working with landholders to establish sanctuaries and wildlife corridors, creating innovative for-purpose businesses, and fostering community engagement and First Nations partnerships, Odonata works tirelessly to conserve biodiversity and create a more harmonious relationship between humans and nature.

Odonata’s achievements include being foundational to the downlisting of the eastern barred bandicoot from extinct in the wild to endangered, leading the most successful semi-wild breeding program of the southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby, and undertaking habitat restoration and climate mitigation projects.

Whilst Odonata was founded as a public charity in 2017, its work commenced decades earlier at Mt Rothwell Sanctuary (473ha), just 50km south-west of Melbourne in Little River, when the property was purchased by Odonata’s founder, Nigel Sharp, in 2004.

Mt Rothwell Sanctuary is home to Odonata’s threatened species recovery programs and has been under the leadership of Biodiversity Director, Annette Rypalski, for over 20 years – alongside a dedicated team of staff and volunteers, leading conservation scientists, universities, and researchers globally.

Today, Odonata delivers a range of programs to serve threatened species, the general public, private landholders, First Nations communities, citizen scientists and values-aligned collaborators and partners.

Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby at Mt Rothwell. Photo by Pete James.
Southern Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby at Mt Rothwell. Photo by Pete James.

The Problem

Australia holds the unenviable title of being the world leader in mammal extinctions.

This is primarily driven by European settlement, land clearing, urban sprawl and the introduction of pest species such as foxes, feral cats and rabbits.

Re-wilding in the Australian context relies on fenced sanctuaries and safe havens. This is currently our primary hope of halting mammal extinctions and where our focus lies at Odonata.

THE SOLUTION

Our solutions are designed to halt and reverse extinction rates for key mammals, while building a better landscape where they can thrive in the future. Sustainable finance and innovation are also a big part of how we find new solutions. Courageous and bold business leaders, landholders, philanthropists and investors are key to our mobilisation and are invited to join this exciting journey. Next generation technology and digital evolution is supporting us to work with every Australian and other organisations in ways that haven’t be possible before.

Eastern Barred Bandicoot
Eastern Barred Bandicoots. Photo by Annette Ruzicka
Mt Rothwell. Photo by Annette Ruzicka
Mt Rothwell. Photo by Annette Ruzicka

OUR 500-in-5 model

500-in-5 is a model to rebuild threatened species populations to at least 500 individuals across 5 sanctuaries, managed by Odonata as one genetically diverse metapopulation. Because if our threatened species are all at our home sanctuary, Mt Rothwell, and fire rips through, the future of 9 species goes up in flames too.

View towards the Melbourne CBD from Mt Rothwell. Photo by Majell Backhausen