Strong partnerships are at the heart of Bush Blitz. They are essential to the continuation of the program, as well as the success of every Bush Blitz we organise.
Program partners
The Bush Blitz program is a unique cross-sector partnership between the Australian Government (through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Parks Australia), BHP and Earthwatch Australia.
▼Learn more about the program partnership
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water provides half of the funding for the Bush Blitz program. Parks Australia, a division within the department, provides overall project management of Bush Blitz. Bush Blitz works closely with the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), the department’s focal point for species discovery.
BHP, an Australian icon and leading global natural resources company, is proud to be the program’s major corporate sponsor. The Bush Blitz partnership represents a significant investment in biodiversity conservation for the company. BHP employees have the opportunity to participate in the hands-on experience of Bush Blitz field work. BHP aims to deliver benefits to the environment and communities by improving natural resources management and supporting biodiversity efforts.
Earthwatch Australia is a leading not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting understanding and action for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch coordinates the participation of BHP employees and the Bush Blitz TeachLive project.
Bush Blitz partners
On each Bush Blitz, we work closely with land managers, Indigenous Australians and scientific institutions. A Bush Blitz can also be the start of beneficial relationships between our Bush Blitz partners and local communities. For example, we aim to provide communities with an opportunity to develop an ongoing project with scientists that will improve knowledge of biodiversity or support educational outcomes.
Land managers
We work with a wide range of land managers in a variety of settings, including national parks, Defence training areas and Indigenous Protected Areas. More than half of our expeditions are on lands owned, managed or co-managed by Traditional Owners. Bush Blitz acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and to their Elders both past and present. We have a First Nations engagement protocol for working with Traditional Owners.
The Bush Blitz leader starts working with land managers many months before an expedition takes place. They stay in contact with land managers throughout the planning stage and, if possible, visits them on site. During the Bush Blitz, land managers often make themselves available to assist with access, site selection and fieldwork. When this is possible, scientists and land managers benefit from a two-way exchange of information. In addition to having access to the publicly available reports, land managers receive a copy of all data collected during the Bush Blitz.
Indigenous Australians
As well as working with Traditional Owners, we create opportunities to connect with other Indigenous Australians living near Bush Blitz locations. Good engagement with Indigenous Australians and benefit sharing are important to us. The exchange between Indigenous Australians and scientists enriches the program and provides opportunities for Indigenous employment, skills transfer, knowledge sharing and an increase in cultural awareness for everyone involved.
Bush Blitz working with Olkola Indigenous land managers (Queensland) – video
Bush Blitz – Working with the Nyaliga people of the Kimberley (Western Australia) – video
Scientific institutions
We partner with scientific institutions across Australia, including museums, herbaria and universities. The host institutions for a Bush Blitz are usually the museum and herbarium of the state or territory where the Bush Blitz is being held. They help decide which taxonomic groups will be studied, carry out the field work and undertake identification, databasing and curation of the collected specimens.
Other associates
Australian Collection Councils
The Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) and Council of Heads of Australian Fauna Collections (CHAFC) represent the major faunal and flora collection institutions of each state and territory, as well as CSIRO collections. The councils aim to promote all matters of interest to faunal and flora collections in Australia and to increase cooperation and understanding between institutions.
Atlas of Living Australia
The Atlas of Living Australia is a project funded under the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Its mission is to develop an online, freely accessible biodiversity data management system to link Australia’s distributed network of biological knowledge custodians. Bush Blitz is a priority project for the ALA.
