Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) is Central Australia’s peak environmental NGO, defending the health of the land and waters of the iconic arid lands for 45 years.

ALEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands we live and work on and their vital role in caring for country for many thousands of years, now, and into the future. We acknowledge First Nations Elders past, present and emerging and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Our Work

Nature

Buffel grass is now considered to be the single greatest environmental threat to arid ecosystems. It out-competes native grasses and alters habitats, leading to more dangerous fires, significant biodiversity loss and loss of...

Water

Groundwater is the lifeblood of the arid zone, transforming arid environments into the oases of the desert. Shallow groundwater landscapes support the most complex, biodiverse and climate resilient habitat in the arid...

Climate

Proactive climate adaptation that incorporates climate justice principles involves taking practical actions to build the capacity of Central Australian communities while rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including actions to strengthen housing and...

Latest Media releases

Go to Media Releases

Weed so bad you can see it from space: NASA images reveal buffel-fueled fire risk building in Australia’s Red Centre

May 05, 2026

New satellite images released by NASA showing Australia’s Red Centre turning green should not be mistaken for good news, the Invasive Species Council has warned, with much of the growth likely to be invasive buffel grass – a fast-spreading weed that is priming the...

Buffel Grass Fight Reaches Canberra

April 23, 2026

Thank you to everyone who helped get us to Canberra last month to advocate for buffel grass to become a Weed of Nation Significance. Our community contributed financially, by putting pen to paper, and even making thorny devil metal sculptures for us to take...

“Failing, flailing and a fish out of water”. Controversial and disastrous Singleton Project delayed again.

April 21, 2026

Fortune Agribusiness, the proponent of one of Australia’s largest groundwater licences at Singleton Station, 350km north of Mparntwe Alice Springs, has had a two-year extension granted to finalise their Environment Impact Statement (EIS) by the NT Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA). Fortune Agribusiness in...

Healthy Futures for Arid Lands and People