Atticus Fleming ‘AWC: a new model for conservation’

Atticus, inaugural chief executive of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, will describe how AWC is integrating science, philanthropy, sound business principles and a strong commitment to practical land management on order to reverse the decline in Australia’s wildlife.

Applying this innovative business model, AWC owns and manages 23 properties around Australia, protecting endangered wildlife across more than 3 million hectares in iconic locations such as the Kimberley, Cape York, Arnhem Land and the central deserts.

AWC protects more native species than any other non-government organization in Australia including 83% of all birds and over 70% of all mammals.  AWC properties are home to some of the largest remaining populations of many threatened species such as numbats, bridled nailtail wallabies, bilbies and purple-crowned fairy-wrens.

Atticus Fleming, inaugural chief executive of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, was one of four WA finalists in the 2013 Australian of the Year awards.

Prior to joining AWC in 2002, Atticus served as a policy advisor on the personal staff of Australia's longest serving Federal Minister for the Environment, Senator the Hon Robert Hill.  As advisor to the Federal Environment Minister, Atticus played a major role in the development of Australia's first national biodiversity law as well as advising on matters such as fisheries management, wildlife trade and climate change.

Prior to working for Senator Hill, Atticus was a constitutional lawyer with the Attorney-General's Department in Canberra and a corporate lawyer with Mallesons Stephen Jaques in Sydney.

To escape the law and politics, Atticus has explored some of the world's great wildlife havens including the lowland rainforests of the Congo, the mountains of Madagascar and the deserts of Namibia.