Rhino Conservation Australia - The Australian Rhino Project

The Australian Rhino Project Update

The Australian Rhino Project made the decision to change our approach to supporting rhinos.

Why? Because the landscape for rhino conservation has changed. South Africa’s proposed restrictions on rhino exports outside of African range states and ongoing policy uncertainty mean that continuing with our original mission is no longer viable in the foreseeable future.

But our commitment to rhinos hasn’t changed — it has evolved.

The Request for Proposal (RFP) process was launched in February 2026 to ensure that our raised funds are invested where they can have the most impact: rhino conservation projects, anti-poaching initiatives, habitat restoration, and community programs that give rhinos an immediate future.

The confirmed recipients of funding are:

Endangered Rhino Conservation (South Africa) - $100,000 for the urgent relocation of 12 southern white rhinos from a structurally insecure reserve to a secure property within the Waterberg Biosphere.
Food for Rhinos NPC (South Africa) - $250,000 to sustain operations at a Waterberg District facility caring for displaced, injured and orphaned rhinos, which has produced 46 calves since 2015.
Global Wildlife Fund (Zimbabwe) - $100,000 in support of the reintroduction of black rhinos to Matusadona National Park, delivered in partnership with African Parks.
KZN Rhino Project (South Africa) - $90,000 for coordination, K9 anti-poaching teams, aerial surveillance and conservation education across 42 KwaZulu-Natal game reserves.
Legend Rhino Orphanage NPC (South Africa) - $115,000 for LoRaWAN monitoring towers, GPS collars for 35 rhinos and a security control room upgrade across 12,000 hectares of mountainous Limpopo terrain.
Rooiberg Veterinary Services (South Africa) - $100,000 to complete a real-time GPS telemetry and LoRa monitoring network achieving full coverage of 54 white rhinos in the Rooiberg–Waterberg landscape.
Save the Rhino Trust Namibia (Namibia) - $85,000 for community-led black rhino conservation across 14 communal conservancies covering more than 25,000 square kilometres.