The Ecological Society of Australia

What The Ecological Society of Australia does

The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) is Australia's largest professional scientific society for ecologists, founded on 1 August 1960 and incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 9 September 2014. Registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, the society is headquartered in Windsor, Queensland, and operates exclusively within Australia as a member-funded non-profit with no parent company or external equity ownership. It serves over 1,000 members, including academic researchers, professional practitioners, students, and early-career ecologists, providing professional development, networking, recognition, and policy engagement across the discipline.

ESA's core products include two peer-reviewed scientific journals, Austral Ecology and Ecological Management & Restoration, distributed globally through Wiley Online Library, alongside the Hot Topics in Ecology policy synthesis series, the ESA Bulletin, webinars, a blog, and the annual ESA Conference, which is the largest ecological conference in Australia and attracts nearly 1,000 delegates. The society also administers a grants and awards programme that disburses more than 100 prizes annually, the 'Ecology in Action' Photography Competition, working groups, and special interest networks. The member-facing digital infrastructure is built on the ToucanTech community platform, hosted on Amazon Web Services in the EU, with single sign-on integration via Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

ESA generates revenue through five distinct streams: recurring membership subscriptions providing access to journals, conferences, awards, and grants; conference attendance, sponsorships, and exhibitor fees; publication access to journals distributed via Wiley; a flat-rate $60 job advertising service targeted at ecologists, academics, students, and scientists; and ancillary income from photography competitions and merchandise. Key partnerships include Wiley (journal publishing), ToucanTech (community platform), AWS (cloud hosting), CSIRO Publishing (Ecology Matters book), the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment (research funding), and the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania (joint conference), with the Australian National University, Deakin University, Charles Sturt University, and other Australian universities serving as primary institutional affiliates of member researchers.

Name

The Ecological Society of Australia

Legal name

Ecological Society of Australia Ltd

Website

https://ecolsoc.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ecological Society of Australia is a 60-year-old non-profit scientific society serving over 1,000 ecologists across Australia through two peer-reviewed journals (Austral Ecology, Ecological Management & Restoration), an annual conference of nearly 1,000 attendees, 100+ annual research prizes, and a grants and policy engagement programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society Services

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH)

Keywords

• Scientific society membership
• Peer-reviewed ecology journals
• Annual ecology conference
• Research grants awards
• Professional networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to journals, conferences, awards, grants, and networking opportunities for ecologists across Australia
2. Job advertising: Cost-effective advertising service at $60 flat rate per advertisement reaching thousands of ecologists through website, weekly e-newsletter and social media channels
3. Conference attendance: Revenue from annual conference registrations, sponsorships and exhibitors
4. Publication access: Access to ESA journals Austral Ecology and Ecological Management & Restoration
5. Photography competition and merchandise: Ecology in Action Photo Competition and shop sales

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Ecological Society of Australia operates a non-profit scientific society platform that provides annual membership subscriptions, publishes two peer-reviewed journals (Austral Ecology and Ecological Management & Restoration), and runs Australia's largest annual ecological conference attracting nearly 1,000 delegates. The society awards over 100 prizes annually to students and professionals and produces Hot Topics evidence-based syntheses for environmental policy.

Product overview

The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) operates a platform-based organization offering a portfolio of products and services centered on fostering excellence in ecological science and practice. The core offerings include two peer-reviewed journals (Austral Ecology and Ecological Management & Restoration), the annual ESA Conference, and the Hot Topics in Ecology publication series. Supporting products include the ESA Bulletin, webinars, blog content, grants and awards programs (awarding over 100 prizes annually), photography competitions, and member engagement through Working Groups and Special Interest Networks. Additional services include advertising platforms for employment opportunities and science suppression documentation. The society also published 'Ecology Matters: Conversations with Australian Ecologists' through CSIRO Publishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Austral Ecology A peer-reviewed scientific journal published by ESA, promoting Australian and Southern Hemisphere ecological work to a worldwide audience.
• Ecological Management & Restoration (EMR) A peer-reviewed journal linking ecological science and practice, focused on applied ecological management and restoration in Australian contexts.
• ESA Annual Conference The largest ecological conference in Australia, held annually and attracting nearly 1,000 delegates. Includes symposia, workshops, field trips, awards and networking opportunities.
• Hot Topics in Ecology Evidence-based syntheses of ecological topics relevant to environmental policy development and land management. Each Hot Topic consists of a one-page summary and a database of peer-reviewed literature.
• ESA Bulletin ESA's official bulletin publication providing news, research reports, and updates on ecological society activities and initiatives.
• Grants & Awards Program ESA awards more than 100 prizes each year to students and professionals for research excellence, study, travel, conference presentations and science communication. Includes the Australian Ecology Research Award (AERA) and the ESA Gold Medal.
• Photography Competition Annual ecology photography competition showcasing Australian wildlife and landscapes, known as the ESA 'Ecology in Action' Photo Competition.
• Advertising Services Cost-effective advertising service at $60 per advertisement flat rate for employment opportunities, funding, training and professional opportunities, reaching thousands of ecologists through the website, weekly e-newsletter and social media channels.
• ESA Membership Annual membership subscriptions providing access to journals, conferences, awards, grants, networking opportunities and member benefits for ecologists across Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 prizes awarded annually to students and professionals
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Society for Conservation Biology OceaniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-host of ESA-SCBO 2022 Joint Conference held on Dharawal country (Wollongong, NSW) from 28 November to 2 December 2022 with theme 'Reconnecting'
• ToucanTechcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite provider for ESA's membership database and online community platform, managing the member portal and community website
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationCloud server hosting for ESA's website and member database, with servers hosted in the EU
• TASA IncminorOthersAssisted in developing copyright guidelines for the ESA website
• CSIRO PublishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublished 'Ecology Matters: Conversations with Australian Ecologists' by Grace Heathcote, available through CSIRO Publishing for pre-order
• Wiley (publisher)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublishes ESA journals Austral Ecology and Ecological Management & Restoration through Wiley Online Library

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Royal Society of Australia: Australian learned society covering all natural sciences; competes for institutional prestige, fellowship recognition, and policy advisory roles across the same researcher base.
• Australian Academy of Science: National umbrella for Australian sciences including ecology; broader scope than ESA but overlapping audience of researchers, policymakers, and grantmakers in the sciences.
• Australian Geographic Society: Australian nonprofit focused on science communication and conservation storytelling with photography competitions and grants; overlaps with ESA's outreach and photo competition activities.

Others

• Wiley (publisher): Global publisher distributing ESA's two journals via Wiley Online Library; a critical channel partner rather than competitor, but shapes ESA's international reach and journal economics.

Direct peers

• British Ecological Society: UK-based learned society publishing multiple ecology journals, running an annual conference, and awarding grants. Closest international analogue to ESA's membership-journal-conference model.
• Society for Conservation Biology Oceania: Oceania chapter of SCB; co-hosted ESA-SCBO 2022 Joint Conference. Direct overlap in member base, conservation policy focus, and conference programming.
• Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand: Australia and New Zealand's peak professional body for environmental practitioners; overlaps with ESA's practitioner ecologist segment and runs its own awards, events, and certification programs.
• Ecological Society of America: The US counterpart scientific society for ecologists; publishes flagship journals, holds large annual meetings, and runs awards programs. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and product mix to ESA Australia.

Regional players

• New Zealand Ecological Society: Trans-Tasman peer society running a comparable membership/conference/journal model focused on New Zealand ecology. Closest geographic near-neighbour with directly overlapping research domains.

Emerging players

• Bush Heritage Australia: Australian conservation nonprofit purchasing and managing land for biodiversity; overlaps with ESA members in practitioner ecology roles and uses ESA's job board for hiring ecologists.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecological-society-of-australia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Ecological Society of Australia