Our History and Impact
Since 1980, the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) has been one of Central Australia’s leading voices for environmental protection, ecological justice, and community led advocacy. Founded in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, ALEC has built a long history of independent, community-led campaigning that has helped shape environmental outcomes across the arid zone.
Over four and a half decades, ALEC has played a central role in major environmental and social justice victories, including:
-
Successfully resisting the proposed Muckaty Station nuclear waste dump
-
Campaigning for the establishment of Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park
-
A founding partner of Alice Springs Solar City
-
A founding partner of the internationally significant 10 Deserts Project, the world’s largest First Nations-led conservation initiative
-
Played a key role in securing the Northern Territory Government’s declaration of buffel grass as a weed in 2024
Our Role
With decades of place-based work, ALEC has built deep trust and social connection across Central Australia and the broader arid zone. Our strength comes from longstanding relationships with Traditional Owners, community groups, researchers, environmental organisations, artists, storytellers, and regional communities. These relationships allow ALEC to mobilise communities, amplify lived experience, and build collective power around protecting Country.
Why the Arid Lands Matter
Australia’s arid lands are ecologically rich, culturally significant, and globally important landscapes. This vast region contains some of the largest remaining relatively intact desert ecosystems on Earth, supporting unique biodiversity, precious groundwater systems, and continuing First Nations custodianship and cultural knowledge.
Threats to the Arid Lands
Despite these values, the arid lands are often treated as politically marginal and viewed through an extraction mindset. Governments and corporations continue to prioritise mining, groundwater extraction, industrial agriculture, and gas expansion over ecological health, community wellbeing, and long-term sustainability. Environmental protections remain weak across climate policy, invasive species management, and groundwater governance, while industrial projects continue despite concerns raised by Traditional Owners, scientists, and communities.
At the same time, the climate crisis is intensifying pressures across the region. Extreme heat, flooding, fire weather, and prolonged drought are becoming more severe and frequent, while long-term, community-led adaptation responses remain limited.
Together, these pressures are increasing community vulnerability and accelerating ecosystem decline through invasive species spread, biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, altered fire regimes, and threats to the groundwater systems that sustain life across the desert.
Our Campaigns
Our campaigns respond to recognised threats facing the arid lands, alongside calls for action from communities across the region. We are currently campaigning in the following areas:
Climate justice adaptation and mitigation, with a decade strong anti-fracking campaign, and through local climate impact preparedness work.
Water justice to protect sacred springs and finite groundwater resources, co-developed with First Nations community and organisations.
Nature and biodiversity protection focused on invasive species, conservation, and restoration.
Arid-zone sustainability and food security via community education and a community garden network.
Our Community
ALEC has strong engagement from local people, businesses and community groups. This strong community support for ALEC is what has enabled it to survive and thrive in Alice Springs.
Environmental action to protect the desert possible with people like you behind us. If you support a sustainable, healthy future in the arid lands, there are a number of ways you can get involved, get active and make a difference.