The UN Convention on Biological Diversity highlights the international community’s concern with the long term future of life on Earth. The recently released results of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment highlight the scientific basis to widespread public concern with the state of the natural environment and the loss of species, along with degradation of ecosystems and the services they provide human society. The Australian Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 establishes the conservation of species and natural heritage as a matter of national policy significance. Importantly, the Act’s objectives point to the need to promote a co‑operative approach to the protection and management of the environment involving governments, the community, land‑holders and indigenous peoples.

Part of the solution to the conservation challenge lies in long term and large scale conservation planning to help maintain biodiversity at all levels (genetic, species and ecosystems), along with associated natural heritage values. The ANU WildCountry Research and Policy Hub initiative has developed in response to this need. The aim of the Hub is to facilitate research into systematic large-scale environmental conservation assessment and planning, and related public policy. Research activities include the development of new continent-wide and regionally scaled approaches to conservation assessment and planning based on scientific understanding of key processes and connections.