Australia’s ocean hosts extraordinary biodiversity, stretching from sub-Antarctic waters to tropical coasts. It is home to more than 33,000 marine species and globally unique habitats that sustain wildlife, coastal communities, industries, livelihoods, and Australia’s culture and identity.
Yet despite overwhelming scientific evidence calling for urgent action, Australia’s marine extinction crisis is deepening. Climate change, habitat destruction, offshore development, pollution, and unsustainable fishing are driving rapid declines in species and ecosystems. Endemic sharks and rays, Australian sea lions, albatrosses, turtles, sea snakes, and other vulnerable species face mounting pressure, while protections, monitoring, and recovery plans remain inadequate. Alarmingly, loopholes in regulation, transparency, and traceability continue to allow exploitation of endangered species, underscoring the urgent need for reform.
Underwater heatwaves have devastated reefs from Ningaloo to the Great Barrier Reef. Mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria and Exmouth Gulf are retreating. Giant kelp forests—listed as Endangered since 2012—now cover less than five per cent of their former range. Ninety-five per cent of shellfish reefs and half of Australia’s seagrass meadows have been lost. Shallow rocky reefs, algal beds and coral reefs are in poor or declining condition, and 95 marine species are nationally recognised as threatened with extinction.
That’s why AMCS is leading efforts to prevent marine extinctions by protecting and restoring species and habitats from key threats. Providing expert advice to strengthen federal and state nature laws is an important first step, but we also need to ensure these laws are fully funded and implemented. In addition, our work includes threat-based campaigns targeting high-risk fishing practices, plastic pollution and direct impacts to wildlife and habitats.
With your support, AMCS can reform fisheries and aquaculture, improve seafood transparency and traceability, and drive sustainable fishing. Combined with habitat protection, pollution reduction, and stronger policy, your support will provide a lifeline for Australia’s marine life and habitats.
If you are interested in funding this work, explore these special projects below:
All donations over $2 are 100% tax-deductible. The projects featured in the Funding Prospectus are priority campaign activities and needs for which we are urgently seeking funds – current at the time of posting or going to press. As time progresses, there may be some cases in which the project you have selected may already be fully funded. In that instance, we would be delighted to discuss where the need is greatest at the given time. All of our campaigns work in symbiotic support of our mission to protect our oceans. Please be assured your gift will go to work to be the voice for Australia’s oceans, working on the big issues that risk our ocean wildlife.
