Odonata Foundation

Australia leads the world in mammal extinctions, having lost one-third of all mammals that have disappeared in modern times. The increasing frequency and intensity of fires, droughts and floods, brought about by climate change, further threatens flora and fauna.

Odonata is committed to reversing this alarming trend and focuses on saving nine vulnerable Australian species from extinction: eastern barred bandicoot, southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby, bush stone-curlew, rufous bettong, eastern bettong, eastern quoll, long-nosed potoroo, southern brown bandicoot, and spotted-tailed quoll.

Our Five-Year Goal:
Establish populations of at least 500 animals for each species, distributed across five sanctuaries with healthy genetic diversity at each location.

Collaboration: A Network of Sanctuaries
We partner with farmers, businesses, and government departments to create large-scale sanctuaries on their properties. We’ve proven that threatened species recovery can coexist with commercial land use — wildlife can thrive alongside farming when properly managed. These animals help rejuvenate ecosystems and can improve farm profitability.

Science: Applied Research
Working with universities and researchers, we apply the latest scientific knowledge while contributing to new discoveries. Our chosen species not only face extinction threats but also play crucial roles in improving ecosystem health and farm productivity.

Impact: Proven Success
Our achievements include helping down list the mainland eastern barred bandicoot from “extinct in the wild” to “endangered” — only the second species downlisting in Australian history. We run the most successful semi-wild breeding program for the critically endangered southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby. Only 50 remain in the wild and our sanctuaries protect more than 500.

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