Australia's rapid urbanisation has come at a cost to biodiversity — native vegetation cleared, wildlife habitat fragmented, wetlands drained, and urban heat islands replacing biodiverse landscapes. Yet Australian cities can support remarkable biodiversity: from urban bush remnants to backyard wildlife gardens to wetland parks. Grant funding supports urban greening, wildlife habitat creation, community environmental stewardship, and the research that builds understanding of urban ecosystems — bringing nature back to where most Australians live.
The challenge
The opportunity
Urban areas can support significant biodiversity:
- Urban remnant bushland (significant refuges in some cities)
- Waterways and urban wetlands
- Parks and green spaces
- Private gardens (collectively major wildlife habitat)
- Verges and road reserves
- Green infrastructure (green roofs, walls, water-sensitive design)
Australia's unique urban wildlife
Australia's urban wildlife is remarkable by global standards:
- Possums, bandicoots, and gliders in suburban gardens
- Little penguins in urban harbours (Melbourne, Sydney)
- Microbat colonies under bridges
- Threatened species persisting in urban remnants
- Urban kangaroos and wallabies on city fringes
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
State environmental agencies
Local government
Ian Potter Foundation
Environment including urban biodiversity.
Lord Mayor's Charitable Fund
Urban sustainability and biodiversity.
The Myer Foundation
Environment and sustainability.
Judith Neilson Institute
Some environmental grant-making.
Trust for Nature (Victoria)
Urban and peri-urban habitat conservation.
Greening Australia
Urban revegetation and habitat restoration.
Urban bushland and remnant vegetation
Wildlife corridors
Urban wetlands
Backyard and community habitat
Green infrastructure
Invasive species management
Community science and monitoring
Urban forest and trees
Schools and youth
Research
Urban biodiversity benefits are not equitably distributed:
- High-income suburbs have more urban tree canopy and greenspace
- Low-income and disadvantaged communities have less access to nature
- Heat islands are worst in low-canopy, low-income areas
Urban greening and biodiversity grants in lower-income suburbs address both biodiversity and equity outcomes.
Community connection
Urban biodiversity programmes that build community connection to local nature — through citizen science, stewardship groups, community planting — are more sustainable than one-off grants.
Threatened species focus
Applications that support threatened species persisting in urban areas — particularly endemic urban species or those reliant on urban habitat remnants — are more compelling to biodiversity-focused funders.
Climate co-benefits
Urban greening, wetland restoration, and increased canopy deliver climate adaptation benefits (heat reduction, flood mitigation) alongside biodiversity. Applications that articulate these co-benefits are more attractive to climate-focused funders.
Equity dimension
Urban biodiversity grants in underserviced, lower-income communities address both biodiversity and social equity — a compelling framing for social funders.
Tahua's grants management platform supports urban biodiversity funders and conservation organisations — with project tracking, habitat outcome measurement, community engagement data, and the reporting tools that help urban biodiversity funders demonstrate their investment in bringing nature back to Australian cities.