Why Bush Blitz?

Bush Blitz is Australia’s largest nature discovery program – a unique partnership between the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water  through the Natural Heritage Trust, Parks Australia, BHP and Earthwatch Australia to document plants and animals across Australia. Since the program began in 2010 Bush Blitz has discovered more than 2,000 new species and has added thousands of species records to what is already known, increasing our scientific knowledge to help us protect our biodiversity for generations to come.

There are many plants and animals still to be discovered by science. There are an estimated 580,000-680,000 species in Australia, but three-quarters of this biodiversity is yet to be identified. Forty-five per cent of continental Australia and over 90 per cent of our marine area have never been comprehensively surveyed by scientists. Our expeditions target plant and animal groups thought to have the most undiscovered species, including spiders, insects, molluscs and lichens.

The Bush Blitz Program is governed through a Steering Committee of representtaives from the partner orgnisations. The operational team sits with Parks Australia and works closely with the Australian Biological Resources Study. Earthwatch Australia delivers education and outreach components of the Program.

Bush Blitz involves specialist taxonomists, Indigenous communities, rangers and landowners, teachers, students and BHP employees. Together they are making an extraordinary contribution to the protection of our country’s natural heritage.