Who is The Wilderness Society?

Staff and volunteers at the 2004 World Environment Day Rally, Federation Square, Melbourne.

The Wilderness Society (TWS) is a national, community-based, environmental advocacy organisation whose purpose is to protect, promote and restore wilderness and natural processes across Australia for the survival and ongoing evolution of life on Earth.

TWS works through the avenues of public education and empowerment, advocacy and negotiation, and desk and field research.  TWS is politically unaligned, but uses democratic processes to maximise wise conservation decisions.

TWS values passion for our purpose, the power of people to make change, organisational independence and integrity, compassion in dealing with our staff and others, and a commitment to success in protecting the environment.

TWS supports indigenous people's land and sea rights, and is committed to proper and detailed consultation with affected indigenous people before and during campaigns to protect wilderness and biological diversity.

Established in 1976, TWS is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation. The vast majority of our funding is obtained from membership dues, donations, public fundraising and our retail operations.

TWS comprises a number of separately incorporated organisations and has Campaign Centres located in all capital cities (except Darwin) and a number of regional centres.

From these centres, we undertake research, policy development, community outreach and campaigning activities to fulfill our purpose.

The Executive Director of TWS Inc is based in our Canberra Office. There is also a national administration office, based in Hobart, which handles membership servicing, national fundraising projects, and the production of our magazines, Wilderness News and Wild News and our wilderness calendars and diary.

Some Campaign Centres also operate a retail shop, as a source of funds for their campaigns. These shops operate within an ethical buying policy that is based on minimal impact on the environment and encouraging support for, and knowledge of, current environment issues.

While our offices and Campaign Centres are of varying size and function, all operate largely through the efforts of volunteers - people of all ages, from all walks of life, who give their time and energy on many projects. These include: running information stalls, painting banners, field surveys, conducting public meetings, raising funds, working on office tasks, serving in our shops, writing submissions to government inquiries - or just using their energy and enthusiasm to get others involved.

If you have the interest, energy and some spare time, do the planet a favour and visit your local Wilderness Society Campaign Centre - they'll give you a warm welcome!