ACF Investigates

Nature needs us, now.

ACF Investigates is a digital community of volunteers helping ACF uncover threats to our nature and climate by using their devices to gather and classify data.

Our latest project

Habitat destruction is a key driver of extinction, and Australia is a global deforestation hotspot. This project will help uncover what's happening on the ground now, and help ACF uncover threats to critical habitat.

Completed projects

ACF Investigates: Habitat Destruction

View results

ACF Investigates FAQ

What is the ACF Investigations Unit?

The Australian Conservation Foundation’s Investigations Unit uncovers unethical, illegal and damaging behaviour, working to protect our environment and the places we love. Our work has exposed polluters, advocated for policy change to preserve habitat, and more. You can see more of our work here or send us a tip-off here.

What is ACF Investigates?

ACF Investigates is a digital community of volunteers, working together to uncover threats to our nature and climate by using devices to gather and classify data.

Do I need to download an app?

Nope. All you need is a mobile or computer. This tool is designed to work on most devices and browsers.

Do I have to be in Australia to join ACF Investigates?

No! Lots of people all over the world love our wildlife and precious places. Everyone is welcome to join.

Help! I want help signing up, using the website or changing my password

Great! Give us a call during Australian eastern working hours of 9am to 5pm on 1800 223 669 (free within Australia) or +61 3 9345 1111.

Why do I need to register?

Registering makes your contribution count. By being able to identify each volunteer as unique, we can make sure we don’t show you the same image twice. It also means you can discuss images in our forum and keep track of your stats. Your personal details won’t be shared with other volunteers—the only thing they’ll see is your display name, which you choose.

Someone is being unhelpful in the forum

If you see any content that goes against ACF community standards or is otherwise unhelpful, please flag that post so that one of our moderators can deal with it.

Will you be doing more crowdsourced investigations in the future?

We hope this will be the first of many crowdsourced investigations. Sign up now to hear about future ACF Investigates projects.

Like everything we do at ACF, we can’t build more projects without help from people like you. Donate now to power this crucial work.

I know someone else who would be great at this!

Amazing! The more people we have on board, the faster we can complete investigations in future. Let them know!

Who are we?

ACF is Australia’s national environment organisation. We speak out for a world where forests, rivers, people and wildlife thrive. We are proudly independent and funded by donations from our community.

Read our story

Home page image: Edward Haylan/Shutterstock

Our challenge

Right now, a pollution and extinction crisis threatens our living world. Climate damage and habitat destruction are two of the biggest challenges we face in Australia. But together, we can, we must, we will solve this.

How we work

We push for bold solutions, because the problems we face are big and urgent. We use evidence-based advocacy, courage, creativity and common sense to make this country a better place. We change the story and build people power to fix the systems.

Read our story

Home page image: Edward Haylan/Shutterstock