APS has compiled a list of organisations for those looking to support giving across marine ecology and conservation. While the entities listed below are all known to APS, we do not conduct a detailed analysis of their financial position and governance ahead of their inclusion in this list.
All charities’ audited financials are available to view on the ACNC website.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Marine Science program | James Cook University
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Marine Science (ATSIMS) Program is an outreach initiative designed to provide First Nations Year 10 students in North Queensland with immersive opportunities in marine science, marine management, citizen science, and the stewardship of Sea Country. Their hands-on, experiential excursions are supported by leading reef conservation, science, and education entities in North Queensland, including the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation (GBRF).
Since the program was established, it has also expanded through the Beyond ATSIMS initiative, which continues to build opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students pursuing marine science and related fields.
Australian Marine Conservation Society
Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) was established in 1965 and is dedicated to protecting Australia’s coastal and marine environment. AMCS continually advocate for real, evidence-based solutions based on the best available science, working closely with research centres across the world. They employ conservation experts to drive their work safeguarding the future of Australia’s oceans.
AMCS works on the issues that pose serious risks to ocean wildlife. They have protected critical ocean ecosystems with marine reserves around Australia, including Ningaloo and the Great Barrier Reef. AMCS also successfully led the movement to ban whaling, stop supertrawlers, and protect threatened and endangered species like the Australian Sea Lion.
Australian Marine Mammals Conservation Foundation
Australian Marine Mammals Conservation Foundation (MMF) is a small organisation working in research, education, and conservation; conducting internationally recognised scientific research on marine mammals and environments across Victoria. They apply their research learnings to educate and inspire communities as well as advise management authorities to assist with marine environment management decisions. MMF began in 2013, after their Founding Director and Head of Research Dr Kate Charlton Robb discovered, named, and formally described a new species of dolphin in south-east Australian waters: the Burrunan dolphin. There are currently 120 Burrunan dolphins resident to Port Phillip Bay.
Australian Ocean Laboratory
The Australian Ocean Laboratory (AusOcean)’s mission is to help our oceans through the effective use of technology. They design, build and deploy open-source ocean technology designed to be low-cost and scalable. Their technology has been taken up through partnerships with both Australian and global not-for-profits for use in marine conservation research and implementation. Their approach of democratising ocean data for science and conservation fast-tracks marine ecosystem restoration
Innovations to date include:
- networked sea surface platforms, known as “rigs”, as well as custom sensors (e.g., underwater cameras, hydrophones, environmental sensors, etc. where data is transmitted straight to the “cloud”, where it is stored, analysed and shared.
- Underwater speakers – acoustic enrichment devices which mimic the sound of a healthy ecosystem and thereby encourage positive ecosystem development by attracting species that live in functioning ecosystems.
In addition to the development of new technology, AusOcean provides a STEM program in schools where students actively participate in building, deploying, and monitoring an AusOcean Rig. Also, their AusOcean TV program allows the community and scientists to track the impact of harmful algal blooms. Each location of the monitoring rigs streams live underwater video and continuously logs environmental data.
Dolphin Research Institute
The Dolphin Research Institute (DRI) works through four key impact areas to deliver long-term outcomes to protect Victoria’s dolphins, whales and their environment:
- Dolphins & Whales
- Marine Environment
- Education & Community – including their ‘i sea, i care’ and Ambassador programs
- Strong Organisation – including building citizen scientist networks and research on port developments and wind farm detrimental impact on marine life
DRI’s education of the next generation of environmental leaders focuses on behaviour change and not just awareness. With the organisation currently exploring a funding opportunity to expand DRI school education programs across Victoria’s coastline.
Great Southern Reef Foundation
The Great Southern Reef Foundation works to improve understanding, stewardship and protection of Australia’s temperate reef ecosystems, which extend along the country’s southern coastline. Its work focuses on three main areas: education, community engagement and science.
In practical terms, the organisation:
- Develops educational resources and teacher training to help students learn about the Great Southern Reef and marine ecosystems.
- Produces and shares information, films, articles and other media that increase public awareness of reef ecosystems, marine species and environmental issues affecting southern Australian reefs.
- Supports community participation through events, volunteering, storytelling, citizen engagement activities and partnerships that connect people with local reef environments.
- Facilitates scientific collaboration and knowledge-sharing, drawing on expert researchers to synthesise information about the Great Southern Reef and communicate research findings to broader audiences.
- Highlights specific ecological challenges, such as the impact of long-spined sea urchins on kelp reef ecosystems, and promotes discussion of potential management responses.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific
Greenpeace’s mission is to secure the ability of the earth to nurture and sustain life in all its diversity – specifically by phasing out fossil fuels and protecting biodiversity. Accordingly, they work on the most urgent environmental issues including climate change, the depletion of marine and terrestrial wildlife, large scale deforestation, plastic pollution and threats to regions such as the Pacific Islands. Greenpeace is working on ways to protect marine life through the reduction of plastic pollution and as such the growing number of microplastics in the fish and sea salt that humans consume.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s current and upcoming campaigns include:
- Save Scott Reef – their main focus for the remainder of 2026 is protecting the pristine reef from Woodside’s gas drilling
- Offshore gas drilling – campaigning against other offshore gas projects, with both a nature-protection and a climate focus
- Marine Parks – the government is undertaking a review of Australia’s marine parks, and as such Greenpeace are campaigning for stronger protections and the removal of industrial fishing and fossil fuel drilling from these areas
- High Seas Sanctuaries – away from Australian protected waters, Greenpeace are calling for 30% of the high seas to be protected by 2030. The South Tasman Sea and Lord Howe Rise area is their current priority in this area
- Deep Sea Mining – calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining
- Great Barrier Reef – linked to their land-based campaigns, Greenpeace are calling for better protections for the Great Barrier Reef and the damage flowing out to the reef, caused by deforestation and land clearance
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies | University of Tasmania
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) is a centre for marine and Antarctic research, where research cuts across traditional science and social science boundaries; with three research centres:
- Ecology & Biodiversity – research and teaching spans marine biology and ecology, conservation, sustainable development, climate change mitigation, ecosystem restoration and management, and the assessment of threats and impacts on marine ecosystems.
- Oceans & Cryosphere – research spans bluewater and coastal oceanography, interactions between the ice sheet, oceans and solid earth beneath, and governance in the Antarctic, Southern Ocean and temperate oceans.
- Fisheries & Aquaculture – working to address the major questions of temperate marine and Antarctic science, particularly living marine resource research and climate studies.
Marine Vertebrate Ecology Lab (MAVE Lab)
ABN 61 060 567 686 Funded through University of Wollongong
The Marine Vertebrate Ecology Lab (MAVE Lab) is a research group based at the University of Wollongong, led by Dr Katharina J. Peters. Its work focuses on the ecology, health and conservation of marine mammals and other marine megafauna, including whales, dolphins and seals, with the aim of improving conservation and management of these species in changing marine environments.
The lab:
- Studies how marine mammals respond to environmental and human pressures, including climate change, fishing activities, pollution and vessel traffic.
- Conducts ecological and conservation research using field studies, quantitative modelling, molecular techniques and long-term datasets.
- Generates scientific evidence to inform conservation and management decisions for marine vertebrate species.
Investigates population health, behaviour and ecological relationships to better understand the factors affecting marine megafauna. - Trains students and early-career researchers, contributing to the development of future marine mammal scientists and conservation practitioners.
Ocean Impact Organisation
Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) believes in the power of innovation and accelerating commercially scalable solutions to transform ocean health. Their mission is to support and accelerate ocean impact startups.
Since launching in 2020, OIO has supported 99 startups and entrepreneurs through a range of innovation programs and initiatives, including: the Ocean Impact Pitchfest (46 startups), the Ocean Impact Accelerator Program (12 startups), and the Ocean Impact Ideation Program (40 academics/entrepreneurs).
OIO programs include:
- WA Blue Economy Innovation Platform – to support the commercialisation and global scaling of ocean, marine and maritime technologies developed in Western Australia.
- Bluestart Aotearoa – transition of New Zealand to a blue economy
- Port of San Diego Innovation Challenge – offers startups across the APAC region an opportunity to showcase their solutions for potential entry into the Port of San Diego’s Blue Economy Incubator (BEI)
Oceans Institute | University of Western Australia
The UWA Oceans Institute was founded in 2010 to bring about a new era of collaborative, cross-disciplinary marine research at the University of Western Australia. Since then, the Oceans Institute has nurtured an ecosystem of researchers and educators to serve the needs of the ocean community of Western Australia, the Indian Ocean and the world. Their research priorities are Coastal & Ecosystem Resilience, Ocean-based Decarbonisation and Nature Positive Oceans, including projects for:
- Clean Waters – reduce plastic pollution in our oceans
- Explore the Deep – uncover the mysteries hidden in deep sea canyons
- Tracking Marine life – the movement of whale sharks, sharks and other marine megafauna, and how they respond to a changing climate
- Resilient Habitats – the effect of ocean warming on seagrass meadows
- Thriving Coral Reefs – research into artificial coral reefs
- Future Coasts – address the challenges of sea level rise and extreme marine events in the coastal zone
Ocean Lovers Alliance
A cultural and science celebration for the ocean, the Ocean Lovers Festival was born in Bondi in 2019 and expanded to a Sydney-wide Festival across the month of March. The festival is an annual celebration of Ideas, Art + Music and Actions, showcasing some of the latest innovations, science, state-of-the-art technology and cool ideas for helping the ocean.
The program engages the public in marine exploration and discovery, sharing innovation and restoration initiatives that offer hope. They also deliver year-round education through their Ocean Smart Schools programs that culminate at the festival in live learning experiences.
Ozfish Unlimited
OzFish Unlimited works with recreational fishers for better management of the health of the rivers, lakes and estuaries. OzFish partners with fishers and the broader community to invest in the protection and restoration of our waterways, counteracting decades of degradation.
Ozfish work includes:
- National Landcare Network – Landcare is a “bottom up” movement where the community applies its local knowledge and experience to deliver local solutions to local challenges, and in so doing builds community resilience and capacity. Projects include First Nations Landcare protecting Qld’s coastal ecosystem
- Shellfish Revolution –a community driven shellfish reef restoration project around Australia
- Sustainable Fishing and Waste Reduction – recycling and reuse initiatives, educational resources, workshops, and guidelines, advocating for sustainable fishing practices that ensure the long-term health and abundance of fish populations
Port Phillip EcoCentre
The Port Phillip EcoCentre believes that connected communities drive change. Their educators, scientists and community workers inspire people to join together to care for land, waterways, wildlife and community wellbeing. One of the many initiatives of the centre is a citizen science research project aimed at dealing with micro plastics pollution. Nearly a decade of community-led environmental studies has now quantified littered microplastics (smaller than 5mm) and tracked them to several key sources. Despite alarming spikes in volume, this ’emerging contaminant of concern’ still escapes enforceable action. Port Phillip EcoCentre, in partnership with Environmental Justic Australian and the Victorian EPA are looking to launch a precedent-setting case to establish and enforce new government regulations.
Port Phillip EcoCentre programs include:
- Port Phillip Baykeeper – combining projects of practical action, advocacy and education
- Beachkeepers of the Bay – Community-led conservation and citizen science across Port Phillip Bay
Positive Change for Marine Life
ABN 67 992 500 433
Positive Change for Marine Life (PCFML) is a small organisation working to empower communities to take action, developing long term ocean-based initiatives. PCFML programs address some of the most pressing challenges facing marine life and ocean communities:
- Waste to Wealth – communities collect and convert waste into valuable products and actively reduce marine debris. This program operates in Australia, Solomon Islands and India.
- Rewilding Our Floodplains – blue and green forest restoration projects across catchment areas from source to sea, pioneering innovative research and mapping programs to identify priority sites, harnessing the power of nature to rewild and improve climate resilience. This program brings together industry, science, conservation, culture, and community to create thriving, connected habitats by uniting fishers, farmers, tour operators, First Nation peoples, scientists, recreational users, government officials, and the broader community. This program operates in Australia – the Brunswick River, Byron Shire and India.
- Fishing for Change – helps Small Scale Fisheries (SSF) communities develop sustainable fisheries models that balance conservation and economic returns, operating in India.
Reef Check Foundation
Reef Check exists because the scale of monitoring and action required to help look out for reefs called for a network of local people united on a global scale. In 1999, the first ever global Reef Check survey into coral reef health showed the power of community involvement with scientific studies. Reef Check Australia is a citizen science focused charity dedicated to educating and empowering community volunteers to better understand, appreciate and protect oceans and marine environments. They help people help reefs, by providing volunteers with the tools to take positive action they by engaging in citizen science, connecting people with reef science, and undertaking local conservation projects.
Having started their work in Townsville ,they now operate at more than 75 priority locations along the Queensland coast including the Great Barrier Reef and on Western Australia’s Ningaloo Coast. Reef Check partner with other organisations on projects to enhance and develop our practical marine science, education and conservation outcomes.
Resilient Reefs Foundation
The Resilient Reefs Foundation (RRF) program, Resilience & Recovery is designed to counter the increased frequency, severity, and geographical expanse of coral bleaching. Reengage and empower the community to join them to assist recovery of coral reefs with dive programs, educational activities, scientific collaborations, and opportunities for assisted reef recovery training. They map, track, and monitor every genotype that is sourced from the reef, fragments of which are placed into their spawning stock nurseries.
The program aims to achieve two core objectives:
- Create species rich and genetically diverse spawning stock in mobile, midwater nurseries to produce hundreds of millions of additional coral larvae every year to help build reef resilience in the good times.
- Lower the nurseries into cooler depths during periods of warm water and wild weather to preserve the additional spawning stock, and turbo charge reef recovery in the bad times.
Sea Shepherd Australia
Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organisation that campaigns to defend, conserve and protect the world’s ocean. Their works defends ocean wildlife and protects marine habitat:
Campaigns have defended whales, dolphins, seals, sharks, penguins, turtles, fish, krill and aquatic birds from poaching, unsustainable fishing, habitat destruction, and exploitive captivity.
They work to provide safe sanctuaries to feed, mate and raise young without pollution, destructive fishing gear, plastics and other marine debris that choke marine wildlife and destroy their habitats.
Sea Shepherd investigates and documents when laws to protect the world’s oceans and marine wildlife are not enforced, using innovative, direct actions to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas’ marine sanctuaries and in countries’ sovereign waters through cooperative agreements with established law enforcement agencies.
Sydney Institute of Marine Science
The Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) is a marine research facility based in Chowder Bay in Sydney Harbour and is a partnership between Macquarie University, the University of NSW, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney. The partnership is enhanced by collaborations with several state and federal government departments, and the Australian Museum. SIMS brings together more than 100 scientists and graduate students associated with the Institute, representing a broad diversity of skills in marine science. SIMS undertakes marine research and provides this to policy makers and managers. SIMS believes the scale and diversity of marine research urgently needs to increase to match the scale and diversity of the threats of urbanisation and climate change. SIMS research is solution focused and results in new approaches and technologies for enhancing Australia’s use and enjoyment of the marine environment.
SIMS has an educational role; committed to both the ongoing education of those already on the marine science path through their postgraduate programs, and the encouragement of younger students, through their school science modules for both primary, high school students and online schooling workshops. They also have a variety of public outreach programs for people of all ages to explore marine and coastal ecosystems and learn about the many different SIMS research projects.
Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider Foundation is a ‘sea-roots’ organisation dedicated to the protection of Australia’s waves and beaches through Conservation, Activism, Research and Education or C.A.R.E. The organisation’s mission is to inspire an engaged surfing and coastal community who are passionate about protecting oceans, waves and beaches.
Surfrider Foundation Australia (SFA) was founded in 1991, largely in response to poor water quality issues along Australia’s east coast. Local surfers, being at the forefront of water quality, began recruiting volunteers for a series of demonstrations and actions to persuade decision makers to act on this issue. SFA has grown to 15 volunteer branches across Australia and many more volunteer beach representatives tackling local and national coastal environmental issues at a sea-roots level campaigns. In 2025 their focus was on protecting the coastline from offshore oil & gas projects, expansion of salmon farming and the start of new deep-sea mining.
Take 3
Take 3, also known as Take 3 for the Sea, was established in 2009 based on the belief that simple action could produce profound consequences. Take 3’s mission is to reduce global plastic pollution through education and participation. The organisation is based on the simple message of taking 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach, waterway or… anywhere. Take 3 delivers educational programs in schools, surf clubs, communities and online to increase awareness of plastic pollution and drive participation to decrease plastic pollution and its associated impacts.
Tangaroa Blue Foundation
Tangaroa Blue Foundation works to prevent and remove marine debris in Australia and across regions. They use the Australian Marine Debris Initiative framework to inspire behaviour change, innovation and empower communities, industry and government to make data-driven decisions that improve ocean health. Their work emphasises tackling marine debris at the source and in FY25 drove source reduction initiatives including:
- Indian Ocean Territories Esky Library – addressing polystyrene waste
- Rig Recycle programs – closing the loop on monofilament fishing line
- Project Recon – using retrieved and repurposed satellite technology to track and remove destructive ghost nets
- Operation Clean Sweep – helping plastic industry reduce resin pellet loss
TierraMar | OceanEarth Foundation
OceanEarth Foundation work to reverse biodiversity loss, tackle the plastics crisis, and help achieve a net-zero emissions future by 2050, recognising the need for a transformative shift in global thinking and action. With a focus on Australia, the Pacific, and the Coral Triangle their mission is to build resilient communities and reverse nature loss by helping to unlock transformational change. OceanEarth work is delivered through three interconnected program streams:
- OCEAN – building resilient oceans that sustain both people and nature; helping eliminate plastic pollution to save aquatic wildlife, at scale
- EARTH – empowering communities through nature-based solutions that enhance resilience
- GENERATION NATURE+ – inspiring and equipping the next generation to create lasting, positive environmental and social impact
OceanEarth use a systems-thinking approach, working with communities to understand their challenges and co-design nature-based solutions that benefit both people and the environment. At the core of their approach is the belief that lasting change begins with people. By prioritising community needs, they recognise that social transformation and environmental restoration are deeply interconnected – each driving and reinforcing the other.
The Antarctic Science Foundation Fund
The Antarctic Science Foundation (ASF) supports and funds world-class scientific research to enhance the understanding and protection of the Antarctic, Southern Ocean, and Sub-Antarctic environments. They help scientists study wildlife and ecosystems, oceans, ice shelves, glaciers and sea ice, climate change, and more. ASF also support efforts to communicate and educate the public about the critical role these environments play in global climate systems and the importance of protecting and conserving the Antarctic, Southern Ocean, and Sub-Antarctic ecosystems and wildlife. ASF’s main focus is on Early Career researchers from around Australia and internationally to provide small grants of $5,000 to support their start in the field during this economically vulnerable time in universities by covering equipment, project support such as computer programming and travel to conferences. This year they received 29 applications for only 6 grants, but due to the excellent quality of the applications, the grant pool has been increased.
ASF build research partnerships to fund projects under five theme areas:
- Mitigating climate change
- Ice shelves, glaciers & sea ice
- Maintaining healthy oceans
- Antarctic ecosystems
- Protecting Antarctic wildlife
antarcticsciencefoundation.org
Total Environment Centre
Working with Australians for over 40 years to preserve the ecosystems that support Australia’s communities, Total Environment Centre (TEC) was originally formed by the save the national park and rainforests movement of the 1970s – they now have over 100 eco victories behind them. Today they still care about trees and supporting communities who struggle to conserve precious parks and bushland, but they also work to preserve clean air and stop coastal sand mining. TEC advocate for renewable energy by encouraging innovation, a more flexible modern energy market, and incentivising via government investment coupled with improved recycling infrastructure to protect waterways and oceans from plastic pollutants and more robust legislation around native animals and plants to ensure food and water security for the future.
TEC’s Executive Director is Jeff Angel who is also the convenor of the Boomerang Alliance, which gathers several environmental organisations into one of Australia’s most successful recycling campaigns, aiming to tackle marine plastic pollution with their multi-pronged threat abatement plan.
World Wide Fund for Nature Australia
World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (WWF-Australia) is part of the WWF International Network, whose global mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and ensure that people and nature thrive in harmony.
WWF Australia’s Oceans Program is focused on protecting oceans and marine species across the Southern Hemisphere. With a strong emphasis on science and advocacy, the program aims to drive large-scale change, including protecting 100 million hectares of ocean and securing global migration corridors for whales.
WWF’s strategy includes:
- Creating and defending marine sanctuaries, and advocating for Australia to become a global leader in ocean conservation by meaningfully protecting 30% of its waters by 2030.
- Protecting blue corridors and safe passages for whales and other marine wildlife, bringing together global research to strengthen advocacy and support action.
- Addressing the ocean’s greatest threats, including climate change, plastic pollution, industrial impacts and destructive fishing. Key species and ecosystems affected include coral reefs, turtles, dugongs, krill and whales.
Supporting First Nations and coastal communities to care for Sea Country and build climate resilience through local leadership, nature-based solutions and community-driven innovation, working together to strengthen resilience.
Updated August 2026