What Invasive Species Council does

The Invasive Species Council Inc. is an Australian nonprofit environmental advocacy organization founded in 2002 by eight individuals, incorporated and headquartered in Katoomba, New South Wales, with a secondary operational presence in Wollongong. It is the only national charity in Australia focused exclusively on invasive species, working across prevention, eradication, containment, and control of feral animals (cats, horses, deer, foxes, rabbits), weeds, and pathogens. Its work combines scientific advisory input (a Conservation and Science Committee and academic partnerships with Monash University and the Threatened Species Recovery Hub), policy advocacy at federal and state levels, and community mobilization through campaigns (Reclaim Kosci, Decade of Biosecurity, Voice of Country) and citizen science (Bug Hunt). Documented advocacy outcomes include securing $593 million in fire ant eradication funding, a 2025 repeal of the Kosciuszko National Park Protection Act, a $100 million extension of the Saving Native Species Fund in 2026, and the first national feral cat plan.

The organization's core offerings are advocacy campaigns, citizen science and education programs (Bug Hunt, Aliens Among Us webinars), the integrated Rewilding Australia landscape restoration program, the Feral Herald quarterly newsletter, and informational resources such as fact sheets, government submissions, and policy proposals (e.g., the Environment Health Australia national biosecurity body proposal). It does not develop proprietary software or technology products. Delivery is through a digital-first mix of website, email newsletter, social media on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, petition-driven direct response, media relations, and in-person events for major donors.

The business model is donation-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams include one-time individual donations (tax-deductible from $2), recurring monthly Wildlife Revival Partner subscriptions ($10-$25), an Impact Giving major-donor program at $10,000+ annually, bequest and legacy giving, and unstated grants. The customer base spans environmentally concerned Australian individuals, major donors and philanthropists, federal and state government stakeholders, local conservation groups, and Traditional Owner partners (via Voice of Country). The organization is led by CEO Jack Gough, with a board chaired by Gayle Austen, and is not affiliated with any parent company or private equity sponsor.

Name

Invasive Species Council

Legal name

Invasive Species Council Inc.

Website

https://invasives.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Invasive Species Council is Australia's only national nonprofit advocacy organization focused exclusively on invasive species, founded in 2002 to drive policy reform, community mobilization, and ecosystem restoration across feral animals, weeds, and pathogens.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy services
• Invasive species management
• Biodiversity conservation
• Biosecurity policy advocacy
• Conservation nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Katoomba

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. The organization offers various donation amounts ($50, $100, $200 for one-time; $10, $15, $25 monthly) and encourages regular giving through the Wildlife Revival Partner monthly giving program.
2. Major Gifts and Impact Giving: Philanthropic contributions of $10,000 or more annually from committed donors who receive personalized benefits including briefings, field trips, and ambassador access.
3. Bequests and Legacy Giving: The organization encourages supporters to leave gifts in their Wills, promoting this as a way to 'future proof Australia's wildlife' and secure long-term organizational funding.
4. Government Grants and Campaign Wins: While not a direct revenue stream, the organization's advocacy work has secured significant government funding for invasive species programs, including $100 million for Saving Native Species Fund, $593 million for fire ant eradication, and $268 million federal contribution to fire ant eradication.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Invasive Species Council is an Australian nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that campaigns, educates, and lobbies to protect Australia's native wildlife and ecosystems from invasive species. It mobilizes individual supporters through donations, petitions, and campaigns while engaging government and Traditional Owner partners on biosecurity policy reform and on-ground conservation programs such as feral animal eradication, weed control, and island restoration.

Product overview

The Invasive Species Council is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization rather than a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy campaigns (Reclaim Kosci, Decade of Biosecurity, Voice of Country), citizen science programs (Bug Hunt), restoration initiatives (Rewilding Australia), and informational resources (Feral Herald newsletter, fact sheets, reports, and policy proposals). The organization focuses on influencing government policy and public action to protect Australia's native wildlife from invasive species threats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rewilding Australia: A rewilding initiative focused on restoring lost native species and repairing ecological damage through landscape-scale conservation

Products and services

• Wildlife Revival Partner

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured $593 million total funding for fire ant eradication through sustained advocacy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WWF-AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRewilding Australia was established with WWF-Australia's backing, combining the science of species return with invasive species management advocacy. In just 5 years with WWF-Australia support, rewilding projects have successfully reintroduced eastern quolls, platypuses, bettongs, and parma wallabies to areas where they'd been extinct for decades.
• Lord Howe Island BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Lord Howe Island Board to promote and support the eradication of all rodents from Lord Howe Island, a World Heritage listed site. The planned eradication was scheduled for winter 2019.
• Traditional OwnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnerships with Traditional Owners across Australia, including Voice of Country campaign that builds awareness, ecological knowledge, advocacy skills, and practical community capacity for management of Country. Includes work with Tasmanian Traditional Owners on Clarke Island cat management.
• Reclaim Kosci CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition campaign focused on protecting Kosciuszko National Park from feral horses. Led to successful repeal of the Kosciuszko National Park Protection Act in 2025, enabling effective horse management.
• Biosecurity 2030 InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Biosecurity Collective, an alliance representing agricultural and environmental interests, created the Biosecurity 2030 Project to confront Australia's unprecedented biosecurity challenges through cross-sector collaboration.
• Bug Hunt Program PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBug Hunt is a citizen science initiative to identify and map invasive insects in Australia, with free educational resources for schools. Partners include schools and community volunteers across Australia.
• Townsville City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Townsville City Council in the battle against yellow crazy ants. The community coordinator Bev Job leads the Townsville Yellow Crazy Ant Community Taskforce with volunteer support.
• Threatened Species Recovery HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with university consortium researching endangerment and extinction, including comprehensive analysis of Australia's extinction record showing invasive species as the main cause of most Australian animal extinctions.
• Monash UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Monash University to develop Australia's first assessment of non-native insect species posing high risk to the environment, identifying exotic insects with potential to cause major environmental harm.
• Victorian Farmers FederationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance formed in 2026 with agricultural and environmental interests united to push for stronger action on feral deer ahead of the Victorian election.
• Environment VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partner in the alliance pushing for stronger feral deer action in Victoria, representing broader environmental advocacy sector.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bush Heritage Australia: Australian conservation nonprofit that acquires and manages land for biodiversity. Comparable as a donor-funded, mission-driven conservation NGO addressing invasive species threats on managed reserves, though focused on land acquisition rather than policy advocacy.
• Feral Cat Taskforce / Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre: Australian collaborative research center focused on invasive animal management, including feral cats. Comparable as a peer organization addressing invasive species in Australia, but research/science-focused rather than ISC's advocacy focus.
• Environmental Defenders Office: Australian environmental law nonprofit providing legal advocacy for conservation outcomes. Comparable as a peer advocacy nonprofit using policy and legal tools to achieve environmental outcomes, often in partnership with ISC on biosecurity law reform.
• BirdLife Australia: Australia's leading bird conservation organization. Directly comparable as a species-protection-focused NGO whose mission overlaps with ISC's feral cat and invasive species advocacy, since cats are a primary threat to Australian birds.
• WWF-Australia: Major Australian environmental NGO that is both an ISC partner (Rewilding Australia) and a comparable conservation advocacy organization with a national footprint, large donor base, and policy advocacy on threatened species and habitat protection.

Broad incumbents

• PEW Charitable Trusts (Global Conservation): Major US-based philanthropic organization running global invasive species and ocean conservation campaigns. Comparable as a large advocacy-and-funding entity influencing policy on invasive species, but with much greater resources and global scope.
• Australian Conservation Foundation: Australia's largest grassroots environmental advocacy NGO. Comparable as a community-driven advocacy nonprofit that runs national campaigns and mobilizes individual donors, but with a much broader environmental remit (climate, oceans, forests) rather than ISC's invasive-species focus.
• The Wilderness Society: Australian environmental advocacy NGO focused on wilderness protection. Comparable community-driven advocacy model with national campaigns, but with a broader conservation remit than ISC's invasive species specialization.
• The Nature Conservancy (Australia): Global conservation nonprofit with Australian operations, running science-based conservation programs including invasive species management. Comparable as a peer NGO with donor-funded conservation work, though operating at much larger global scale.

Regional players

• Environment Victoria: Victorian state-based environmental advocacy NGO and ISC partner on feral deer campaigns. Comparable community advocacy model, but operating at state rather than national level — overlapping on specific campaigns in Victoria.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ISCAustralia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAtPmPhghfXwfENRz_4hz0Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/invasivespeciescouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/invasive_species_council
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/invasive-species-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Invasive Species Council