Help the Australia Recovery Effort

The wildfire crisis in Australia is devastating.

Many lives have been lost and our heartfelt condolences go out to the people and communities who are suffering. What the emergency personnel are doing to save lives and lead recovery efforts is heroic and ongoing—and wildfire season will persist for several months.

It’s not just humans that are suffering. The loss of native Australian plants, animals, and their habitats is severe, fast becoming a biodiversity crisis of massive proportions. More than one billion animals have been killed and as much as 24 million acres of land have burned. To put that number in perspective, that’s an area greater than the size of the entire country of Portugal. These wildfires come during Australia’s worst drought in history and in the midst of record high temperatures, both seriously exacerbated by climate change.

Photo credit Aidan Cunningham

Backcountry has teamed up with its partner, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), to support Australia’s recovery. To achieve our mission of breaking barriers between humans and nature, protecting the places we go to find our backcountry—from mountains and deserts to coasts—is critical. That’s why, along with TNC, we want to help protect and restore Australia’s amazing landscapes, including the forests, grasslands, and wetlands critical to the stability of our climate and home to so many people and species. 

TNC Scientist Eddie Game prepares data loggers that will monitor waterhole health in Western Australia’s Martu Country. (Photo credit: Justine Hausheer/The Nature Conservancy)

So, throughout the month of February, Backcountry will match all customer donations made at checkout to The Nature Conservancy, up to $20,000. Your contributions will support TNC’s work with the Australian government, private landowners, and indigenous communities on four key initiatives.

The Four R’s

• Refuges for native animals and plants that have survived the fires. TNC is working to identify, manage, and protect unburnt habitats within the fire zone to help nature bounce back.
• Restoration of habitats affected by fire on a massive scale in collaboration with TNC’s partners.
• Resilience by funding for the development and implementation of a long-term, science-based, climate adaptation strategy.
• Rebuilding ecosystems and supporting the recovery of regional economies who are largely depending on the natural environment

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s work in Australia, please visit natureaustralia.org.au.  

From February 1-29, you can add a donation to the Australia recovery effort to any Backcountry order, or you can donate directly here.