Environmental Leadership

The Gorgon Barrow Island Net Conservation Benefits Fund is an initiative of the Western Australian Government, through which funding is provided for conservation work at the leading edge of scientific knowledge.

By agreement with Chevron Australia, which is developing the Gorgon liquefied natural gas project on Barrow Island, this $60 million Fund has been established to build a nature conservation legacy for future generations of Western Australians.

On advice from an independent Advisory Board, the funding will be granted to projects that will achieve net conservation benefits through restoration and protection of previously degraded habitats and through biodiversity conservation research. These projects will better inform initiatives to conserve and manage terrestrial ecosystems.

The flagship project, Return to 1616, is directed towards re-establishing the ecology of Dirk Hartog Island to a state pre-dating European arrival, and will result in a world-class outcome never before achieved on this scale.