Saving Native Species Program — Game Changers for Threatened Species

Saving Native Species — Game Changers for Threatened Species

Funds innovative conservation projects in Australia protecting priority threatened species through field-based implementation.

The Saving Native Species (SNS) Program is an Australian Government initiative administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), with a total envelope of AUD $224.5 million over four years. The program is tied directly to the Threatened Species Action Plan 2022–2032 and focuses protection efforts on 73 species identified as national priorities. Eligible activities span fire management, predator control, habitat restoration, seed collection and propagation, translocation, ecological surveys, monitoring, and community education.

The program operates through multiple sequential funding streams across the 2023–2027 window. The Priority Species Grant round, which launched in July 2023 and closed in September 2023, drew 261 applications seeking $96 million and allocated $24 million to 61 projects. The Game Changers for Threatened Species stream, which focuses on innovative technology and methods, is delivered through the Business Grants Hub at business.gov.au (administered by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources). A Threat Innovations sub-stream of up to $11.5 million supports novel technologies and approaches for threatened species management.

Confidence on raw source alignment is low for the DCCEEW funder file used here — the program description is drawn from the dedicated Saving Native Species page (source 009), which is confirmed to relate to DCCEEW. Applicants should verify current open rounds directly at business.gov.au for the Game Changers stream and at dcceew.gov.au for the broader SNS program, as the multi-round structure means eligibility windows shift across the program period. Non-government organisations, research institutions, land managers, and local governments have featured among recipients in previous rounds.