Healthy Futures for Arid Lands and People

Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) is Central Australia’s peak environmental organisation, defending Australia’s iconic arid lands since 1980 through mobilising and advocating for ecological protection, water justice, and climate resilience.

ALEC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country, of the lands and waters of the land we 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 has never been 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 News

Go to News

The number one priority of the Finocchario Government’s NT ‘Climate Resilience Plan’ released today is to fast track and open up a massive climate polluting gasfield.

June 15, 2026

This is the government’s first climate policy announced since they were elected, and demonstrates the extent of dystopian state capture. The Finocchiaro Government has repeatedly made decisions that benefit the gas industry. The first action of the NT Climate Resilience Plan is to “accelerate...

Arafura Rare Earths mine designated NT’s first "Significant Project” under far-reaching Territory Coordinator legislation

June 04, 2026

The Nolan’s Bore neodymium and praseodymium open-cut mine with complex on-site processing 130kms north of Mparntwe Alice Springs has been designated as the Northern Territory’s first Significant Project under section 23 of the extreme and far-reaching Territory Coordinator Act 2025. The $1.6 Billion rare...

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...