A national voice for Australia’s Great North

A national voice for Australia’s Great North

We’re a movement of everyday people across Australia standing up for the future of Australia’s Great North. We campaign and collaborate to achieve the big, bold changes northern Australia needs and bring communities together – in the north, and across Australia – to influence governments to act.

Where it all began

In late 2024, four peak conservation organisations came together in Broome and agreed to form a new alliance - united by a shared commitment to the Great North's future.

In the lead up to the tenth anniversary of the White Paper on Developing Northern Australia, we were frustrated by the perennially narrow federal policy agenda for northern Australia, which marginalised northern communities, framed our natural and cultural wonder as a deficit, and risked repeating the mistakes of the past in the pursuit of large scale extractive development.

We decided to form a new alliance - the Northern Australia Conservation Alliance - to pursue a different kind of future for northern Australia, with northern communities in the driving seat. Together, we share a vision for a thriving, just, and resilient Great North. We believe in a future where:

  • Country is protected; the natural and cultural values of the North are protected and biodiversity, cultural heritage, and a healthy country endure for generations to come.

  • First Nations leadership is central; governance of land and water reflects the rights, authority and knowledge of Traditional Owners, including Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

  • Democracy is strong; decisions about the North are transparent, inclusive and accountable to communities.

  • Communities flourish; economies are rooted in long-term wellbeing, not short-term extraction, and support livelihoods and economies that are sustainable, just, and resilient.

Environment Centre NT logo
Logo for Environs Kimberley featuring stylized leaf or feather illustration.
Logo of Arid Lands Environment Centre featuring a stylized lizard and the organization's name.
Logo of Calgary Environment Centre featuring a stylized globe with a leaf and the words Calgary Environment Centre.

Policy Advocacy Coordinator,
Arid Lands Environment Centre

Executive Director,
Environment Centre NT

Executive Director,
Environs Kimberley

  • Alex is passionate about caring for the arid and semi-arid lands. For five years, he has engaged with policy and advocacy opportunities across water, biodiversity conservation, mining, invasives and climate.

    Alex is the Conservation Representative on the National Established Weed Priorities Framework. Currently, he is a Masters of Climate Change student, having previously completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Environmental Studies and Plant Science, and Honours in Geography.

    Alex is grateful to be based in Mpartwe (Alice Springs) to continue the fight to better conserve waters, lands, climate and cultures. 

  • Kirsty has led ECNT since October 2020. She is an advocate, researcher and strategist with over 20 years’ experience. She was a native title, land rights and environmental lawyer for over a decade. Her PhD thesis at the University of Sydney investigated the intersection between Indigenous institutions, the environment, the state and development in northern Australia, and she has published widely in this area. She is inspired by communities across the NT fighting to protect the most precious natural and cultural landscapes in the world.

    Kirsty also has a Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Hons) from the Australian National University, and a Master of Laws from the University of British Columbia. She is an adjunct research fellow at Charles Darwin University. 

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing black glasses, colorful earrings, and a black shirt. She appears to be outdoors in front of a dark background.
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Director,
Cairns and Far North Environment Centre

  • Bronwyn joined the CAFNEC team in 2021 and worked as the Community Campaigner before stepping into the Director role in late 2024.

    Bronwyn, originally from Ontario, Canada and has been in awe of the FNQ environment since she arrived in Australia in 2014.

    As Director, Bronwyn’s priorities for CAFNEC are ensuring sufficient resources for the team to support the people and places we love in our vast region, being the voice for nature in FNQ on state and national levels, and prioritising staff well-being.

    Bronwyn has a B. Sustainability from JCU and a Master of Environment, majoring in Environmental Economics and Policy, through Griffith University.

  • Martin joined EK in 2008 as Executive Director and has spent over 20 years safeguarding the natural environment across South West WA and the Kimberley.

    Working in partnership with Traditional Owners and conservation organisations, he has led efforts to secure 30,000 km² of the Kimberley coast in marine parks, stop major mining projects, and prevent the industrialisation of Walmadany / James Price Point.

    Martin has supported Traditional Owner-led advocacy for National Heritage listing of 19 million hectares of the West Kimberley, potential World Heritage listing, new national parks along the Martuwarra, and protection of its surface water.

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Smiling young woman with long brown hair, glasses, and a black T-shirt standing outdoors with modern buildings and greenery in the background.

The Leadership

Kirsty Howey Martin Pritchard
Executive Director Executive Director

Alex Vaughan Bronwyn Opie
Policy Advocacy Coordinator Director ‍ ‍

  • Kirsty has led ECNT since October 2020. She is an advocate, researcher and strategist with over 20 years’ experience. She was a native title, land rights and environmental lawyer for over a decade. Her PhD thesis at the University of Sydney investigated the intersection between Indigenous institutions, the environment, the state and development in northern Australia, and she has published widely in this area. She is inspired by communities across the NT fighting to protect the most precious natural and cultural landscapes in the world.

    Kirsty also has a Bachelor of Arts/Laws (Hons) from the Australian National University, and a Master of Laws from the University of British Columbia. She is an adjunct research fellow at Charles Darwin University. 

  • Martin joined EK in 2008 as Executive Director and has spent over 20 years safeguarding the natural environment across South West WA and the Kimberley.

    Working in partnership with Traditional Owners and conservation organisations, he has led efforts to secure 30,000 km² of the Kimberley coast in marine parks, stop major mining projects, and prevent the industrialisation of Walmadany / James Price Point.

    Martin has supported Traditional Owner-led advocacy for National Heritage listing of 19 million hectares of the West Kimberley, potential World Heritage listing, new national parks along the Martuwarra, and protection of its surface water.

  • Alex is passionate about caring for the arid and semi-arid lands. For five years, he has engaged with policy and advocacy opportunities across water, biodiversity conservation, mining, invasives and climate.

    Alex is the Conservation Representative on the National Established Weed Priorities Framework. Currently, he is a Masters of Climate Change student, having previously completed a Bachelor of Science majoring in Environmental Studies and Plant Science, and Honours in Geography.

    Alex is grateful to be based in Mpartwe (Alice Springs) to continue the fight to better conserve waters, lands, climate and cultures. 

  • Bronwyn joined the CAFNEC team in 2021 and worked as the Community Campaigner before stepping into the Director role in late 2024.

    Bronwyn, originally from Ontario, Canada and has been in awe of the FNQ environment since she arrived in Australia in 2014.

    As Director, Bronwyn’s priorities for CAFNEC are ensuring sufficient resources for the team to support the people and places we love in our vast region, being the voice for nature in FNQ on state and national levels, and prioritising staff well-being.

    Bronwyn has a B. Sustainability from JCU and a Master of Environment, majoring in Environmental Economics and Policy, through Griffith University.

What we do

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Change the narrative on northern Australia through research, reports, and media

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Create federal policy solutions so northern Australia can flourish

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Collaborate with organisations, communities and people located in northern Australia

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Harness a diverse movement of people across Australia speaking up for Australia’s Great North

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Support and Amplify First Nations leadership in the north

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