The climate crisis is impacting Central Australian communities. Mining and fracking threaten our precious groundwater and invasive weeds like buffel grass put our unique biodiversity at risk. The actions we take now are vital for protecting the environment and the natural resources we depend on. ALEC works with individuals and groups to find solutions to the environmental challenges facing central desert communities - ensuring a hopeful, resilient and sustainable future in the desert.

Our key areas of action are:

Water

Large-scale water intensive industries like agribusiness and onshore gas threaten groundwater aquifers and the arid ecosystems that depend on them. ALEC is campaigning to stop the NT’s largest ever water licence on Singleton Station.

Climate adaptation

Central Australia is already experiencing climate change which disproportionately impacts Aboriginal people living in bush communities. A focus on equitable climate adaptation, hand-in-hand with emissions reductions, is critical to protect desert communities and ecosystems as life gets hotter and harder.

Fracking

Fracking is an expensive, dirty and dangerous way of extracting gas. ALEC advocates for a Territory-wide ban on fracking. We are campaigning to block gas projects in the Beetaloo Basin which would unleash a climate-wrecking carbon bomb and drive up Australia's total emissions by up to 22%.

Biodiversity and conservation

Central Australia has some of the most intact desert in the world. ALEC campaigns to protect arid biodiversity from threats including land clearing, industrial-scale water extraction and the spread of invasive species including buffel grass. We advocate for investment in Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas.

Food

Food is everybody’s business, and our food vision is a system that’s equitable, regenerative and supports people and the environment. ALEC has created two community gardens in Alice Springs.

Renewable energy

ALEC was part of Alice Springs Future Grid, a project aimed at increasing the amount of renewable energy in Alice Springs. ALEC called on the NT Government to introduce a Climate Change Act to legislate a target of net zero emissions by 2050 and support a just and rapid transition to 100% renewable energy.

Policy and Research

ALEC engages in policy and research associated with key issues, threats and priorities. This includes participating on committees and speaking at conferences, as well as writing submissions and communicating opportunities for ALEC to engage its members and the general public to constructively and collaborate in, and contribute to the development of Territory Government's environment policy priorities. 

The Northern Territory Government provides funding to the Arid Lands Environment Centre to have policy and research capacity to engage and contribute to the NT Government’s environment reform program. This includes an objective for ALEC to engage its membership to constructively and collaboratively participate in, and contribute to, the development of Territory Government's environment policy priorities and the design and delivery of effective environmental and natural resource regulatory frameworks.