Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation

What Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation does

Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit charity established on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, Australia. The organization delivers community-directed programs for "Caring for Country" through the integration of approximately 60,000 years of Indigenous ecological knowledge with Western conservation science. Its operational scope spans cultural fire reintroduction, landscape and river restoration, Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) consultation, biodiversity conservation, and youth empowerment, with programs delivered across seven Local Government Areas (Tweed, Richmond Valley, Lismore City, Kyogle, Clarence Valley, Byron, Ballina) and four major river catchments.

The core product is a portfolio of place-based programs rather than a commercial platform. Active programs include Bringing Jagun Back Together IPA (Australian Government-funded IPA consultation), Good Fire Gathering (three-year cultural fire initiative), Heal the Rivers (three-year river catchment restoration under the Northern Rivers Recovery Resilience Program), the Northern Rivers Connecting with Country Framework (co-authored for NSW Reconstruction Authority), the Youth Empowerment Program for First Nations youth aged 15-17, and the Northern Rivers Disaster Adaptation Plan engagement. The underlying methodology, termed "two-way science," combines Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with Western genomics, bush regeneration, and conservation science — for example, Smooth Davidson's Plum recovery work with Botanic Gardens of Sydney, and the National Environmental Science Program's Culturally Significant Entities research led by Curtin University. Notable technical outputs include documented case studies for Bundjalung Culturally Significant Entities (Bugam/Black Bean tree, Nguruny/Coastal Emu, Jahrany/frog species), StoryMaps for schools, and Cultural Species Profile templates.

The business model is grant-funded and donation-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams comprise Australian Government and NSW Government grants (Northern Rivers Recovery Resilience Program, Disaster Ready Fund, Protecting our Places, NSW Environmental Trust, NSW EPA Flood Recovery Program) plus tax-deductible donations processed via Stripe and auspiced through Mullum Seed, a local charitable organization. Services are delivered free of charge to community members and landholders. Distribution operates through direct community engagement, partnerships with Local Aboriginal Land Councils, and collaborations with major NGOs (WWF Australia, Bush Heritage Australia, Firesticks Alliance, Conservation Futures) and universities. The organization is governed by an Aboriginal board (Oliver Costello, Marcus Ferguson, Uncle AJ, Robert Boota, Shane Ivey, Andrew Johnston) and operates with a 12-employee core team.

Name

Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation

Legal name

Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation

Website

https://jagunalliance.org.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit on Bundjalung Country in Northern Rivers NSW, delivering cultural land management programs — cultural fire, river restoration, Indigenous Protected Area consultation, and youth empowerment — funded by government grants, donations, and partnerships with NGOs, universities, and First Nations communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Land Management Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Forestry (800), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Forestry & Indigenous Land Stewardship Services (IMAMAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Land Use, Indigenous & Community Engagement Policy (EUAMANAL), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

Keywords

• Indigenous land management
• Cultural land management
• Conservation services
• Disaster resilience
• Community-led restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Northern Rivers

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: Grant funding from government programs including the Northern Rivers Recovery Resilience Program, Disaster Ready Fund, and Protecting our Places grants. The organization receives funding from Australian Government and NSW Government agencies for specific conservation and disaster resilience projects.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations, processed through Stripe. Funds are auspicied through Mullum Seed, a local charitable organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jagun Alliance is an Aboriginal-led not-for-profit that delivers cultural land management, conservation, and disaster resilience programs on Bundjalung Country in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. It integrates 60,000 years of Indigenous knowledge with Western conservation science to care for Country through cultural fire, landscape restoration, biodiversity protection, and youth empowerment, funded by government grants and philanthropic donations.

Product overview

Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation is a single, unified First Nations-led nonprofit offering. Rather than a commercial platform or SaaS product, it delivers a portfolio of place-based community programs focused on Caring for Country through cultural land management. The core programs include Cultural Fire initiatives (Good Fire Gathering, Connecting to Jagun), landscape restoration (Heal the Rivers, Boorabee Songline), Indigenous Protected Area consultation (Bringing Jagun Back Together IPA), knowledge sharing and youth empowerment. Projects like Dorrobbee Grasslands, Culturally Significant Entities, and Smooth Davidsons Plum extend the portfolio into biodiversity, species recovery, and cultural knowledge documentation. The Yarns media section publishes stories documenting program outcomes and cultural knowledge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Fire Gathering: An Indigenous-led initiative focusing on Cultural fire pathways to build community resilience and preparedness by sharing knowledge, strengthening capacity, and promoting collaboration across the Northern Rivers.
• Heal the Rivers
• Youth Empowerment Program

Products and services

• Bringing Jagun Back Together IPA Indigenous Protected Area consultation project engaging Aboriginal organisations, rightsholders, ranger groups, and stakeholders to explore future Australian Government IPA funding for Caring for Country activities across the Northern Rivers region.
• Good Fire Gathering Three-year Indigenous-led initiative restoring Cultural fire pathways to strengthen community resilience and preparedness through field days, workshops, national Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gatherings, and research partnerships.
• Heal the Rivers Three-year Indigenous-led flood recovery and landscape restoration initiative implementing nature-based solutions for riverbank, wetland, and upper catchment restoration across the Tweed, Brunswick, Richmond, and Clarence River catchments in the Northern Rivers.
• Northern Rivers Connecting with Country Framework Co-authored framework with Zion Engagement and Planning for the NSW Reconstruction Authority, providing structured guidance for genuine partnership with local First Nations communities and alignment with cultural protocols in RA project planning, design, and delivery across the Northern Rivers.
• Boorabee Songline Project Two-year project in partnership with WWF Australia reintroducing cultural fire practices to restore over 30 hectares of culturally significant koala habitat along the Boorabee (Koala) Songline from Kyogle to Evans Head, with 39+ hectares of weed control, 100+ landholders engaged, and 35 Indigenous people supported through employment and training.
• Connecting to Jagun Post-2019-20 bushfire recovery program delivering workshops across the Northern Rivers to help community members and landholders build resilience into Country through cultural fire identification, burn planning, and landscape restoration.
• Youth Empowerment Program Wraparound support program for local First Nations youth (15-17 years) providing a culturally embedded framework centred on deep connection to Country, weaving together cultural strengthening, traditional skills, therapeutic support, and positive mentorship through hands-on, real-world group experiences.
• First Nations Knowledge Sharing 2025 knowledge sharing initiative partnering with local First Nations peoples to share cultural knowledge about healthy Country, climate change, and disaster risks through Gathering Yarns with Elders and Knowledge Holders at schools, resulting in StoryMaps and educational resources for knowledge transfer to youth.
• Grassy Cultural Pathways at Dorrobbee Grasslands Reserve NSW Environmental Trust-funded project applying targeted fire regimes at Dorrobbee Grasslands Reserve and Broken Head to build recognition of grassy ecosystem values and the role of Aboriginal Cultural land management practices in maintaining healthy landscapes, involving cultural gatherings and regional cultural fire management approaches.
• Culturally Significant Entities Project National Environmental Science Program research contribution led by Curtin University, co-developing detailed case study profiles for three Bundjalung Culturally Significant Entities: Bugam (Black Bean tree), Nguruny (Coastal Emu), and Jahrany (frog species), documenting cultural knowledge, ecological values, threats, and Bundjalung-led management approaches.
• Smooth Davidson's Plum Project First Nations-led project strengthening cultural, ecological, and community understanding of the endangered Smooth Davidson's Plum (Davidsonia johnsonii) on Bundjalung Country, gathering Bundjalung Knowledge Holders and scientists for recovery planning including genomic research, mapping, conservation plantings, and cultural naming processes.
• Guung Butherun - Water Stories NSW EPA Flood Recovery Program project focused on water quality monitoring, gathering Bundjalung Elder and community stories, knowledge, and connections to the Richmond River to develop culturally appropriate approaches to waterway management.
• Yarns (Media) Media and storytelling platform publishing community stories, project narratives, and cultural knowledge exchanges related to Jagun Alliance programs, including cultural fire events, flood stories, and knowledge-sharing gatherings.
• Northern Rivers Disaster Adaptation Plan Engagement Engagement project commissioned by NSW Reconstruction Authority to document First Nations community ideas and priorities for inclusion in the regional Northern Rivers Disaster Adaptation Plan covering 9 natural hazards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful germination of Endangered Pink Nodding Orchid following cultural fire application - species had been absent from site prior to custodianship
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WWF AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Boorabee Songline Project to restore culturally significant koala habitat along the Boorabee Songline on Bundjalung Country. Project involved cultural fire reintroduction, habitat restoration, knowledge sharing, and reinforcing kinship connections over two years.
• NSW Reconstruction AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged by NSW Reconstruction Authority to work with First Nations communities on the Northern Rivers Disaster Adaptation Plan and co-authored the Northern Rivers Connecting with Country Framework.
• Botanic Gardens of SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Smooth Davidson's Plum project, integrating Bundjalung Cultural Knowledge with genomics research to understand species reproduction, genetic diversity, and recovery.
• Curtin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to National Environmental Science Program research led by Curtin University on Culturally Significant Entities, co-developing case studies for priority species on Bundjalung Country.
• Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder organization focused on cultural fire and Indigenous land management. Oliver Costello was a founding Director in 2018.
• Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium focused on fire management and biodiversity conservation in the Northern Rivers. Oliver Costello serves as Vice President.
• Zero Emissions ByronminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on cultural fire workshops and demonstration burns, including the first cultural fire return to the Koonyum Range in almost a century.
• Bush Heritage AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in knowledge integration for Heal the Rivers project and represented at cultural burn events like Dorrobbee Grasslands Reserve.
• Southern Cross UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing ecological expertise to cultural fire projects and knowledge sharing initiatives.
• Zion Engagement and PlanningcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCo-authored the Northern Rivers Connecting with Country Framework alongside Jagun Alliance on behalf of NSW Reconstruction Authority.
• Connect Northern RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Youth Empowerment Program providing wraparound support for local First Nations youth through culturally embedded framework.
• Human Nature Adventure TherapycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Youth Empowerment Program delivering therapeutic support and mentorship alongside cultural strengthening activities.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Heal the Rivers project contributing to integrated knowledge platform for restoration, flood mitigation, and adaptation decision-making.
• National Environmental Science ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch program through which Jagun Alliance contributed Bundjalung case studies on Culturally Significant Entities to inform national policy.
• Conservation FuturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization represented at cultural burn events and contributing to conservation and cultural land management projects.
• Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Gathering 2026, hosting event on Gunaikurnai Country in Victoria.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation: Indigenous corporation managing the Dhimurru IPA in northeast Arnhem Land, combining Aboriginal ranger operations, cultural fire, biodiversity protection, and partnerships with researchers and government—closely mirroring Jagun's operating model in a different region.
• Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation: Indigenous-led national network focused on cultural fire and Indigenous land management; co-founded by Jagun's Executive Director Oliver Costello and structurally aligned with Jagun's cultural fire programs and partnerships.
• NSW Aboriginal Land Council: State-wide representative body for Local Aboriginal Land Councils in NSW, including several that partner directly with Jagun Alliance on Caring for Country projects across the Northern Rivers.
• Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation: Aboriginal corporation managing the Wilinggin and Gularri Indigenous Protected Areas in the Kimberley; one of Australia's leading examples of Aboriginal-led IPA governance combining cultural and natural resource management, analogous to Jagun's Northern Rivers model.

Regional players

• Northern Land Council: Represents traditional Aboriginal landowners in Australia's Top End and operates the largest Indigenous Protected Area footprints in the country; comparable Indigenous-led land management model but in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• WWF-Australia: Major Australian conservation NGO that partnered with Jagun Alliance on the Boorabee Songline Project; operates overlapping Indigenous-led habitat restoration and species recovery programs at materially larger scale.
• The Nature Conservancy Australia: Global conservation organization with a long-running Indigenous-led North Australia Program; Jagun's Strategy Lead David Hinchley previously led that program, making TNC a close functional comparator.
• Bush Heritage Australia: Largest Australian conservation NGO acquiring and managing land for conservation; Jagun Alliance is a documented partner on the Heal the Rivers project, making Bush Heritage a comparable scale player operating overlapping Indigenous land stewardship and biodiversity programs.
• Australian Wildlife Conservancy: Australia's largest private conservation operator managing more than 6.5 million hectares; comparable in combining conservation science with on-ground land management though not Indigenous-led.

Others

• Country Needs People: National Indigenous-led advocacy coalition for Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous ranger programs; directly relevant to Jagun's IPA expansion agenda (Bringing Jagun Back Together) and ecosystem support role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jagunalliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/jagunalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jagun-alliance-aboriginal-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation