Watchalunga Nature Reserve was acquired by Nature Foundation in 2014, following a long period of use for cattle grazing.

​Over the past 11 years, significant progress has been made in restoring the landscape. Its precious habitat supports local native species, including the Mount Lofty Ranges Southern Emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus intermedius), which is listed as Endangered under the national Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) Act.

The Aboriginal Advisory Group was established in early 2024 to provide valuable support, strategic advice and guidance for the delivery and future growth of the Kids on Country™ Junior Ranger Program. Members represent various Aboriginal Traditional Custodian groups from across South Australia, offering diverse perspectives to ensure the program continues to support a range of stakeholders.

High-quality natural science underpins all our efforts to sustainably manage our unique biodiversity for future generations, and an essential aspect of this is offering research grants to university students, funded by donations from our generous supporters. 

Since 2000, Nature Foundation has awarded $1,974,786 in research grants to post-graduate students, academics, and the community to kickstart careers in research, supporting 464 students. 

Brock Hedges was the recipient of the Roy and Marjory Edwards Scholarship in the 2019 research grants round. The scholarship supported his PhD research, with the majority of fieldwork undertaken at Hiltaba Nature Reserve, where he explored the freshwater granite rock-holes in the area. 

The initial Science Strategy, introduced in 2018, outlined the governing principles and research priorities for the Science and Knowledge Program over the next five years. It also described the investment mechanisms and decision-making processes to enable South Australian ecological science to grow and develop, benefiting Nature Foundation, its nature reserves, and the broader community.

In our final Science and Knowledge webinar for 2025, Professor Mike Letnic shared an overview of his research and findings on the topic of whether grazing by kangaroos disrupt the flow of food resources through brown food webs in arid environments.

The "brown food web" refers to the network of organisms that consume dead organic matter, which includes dead plants, animals, and waste. It is a decomposer-based food chain that contrasts with the "green food web," which is based on living plants and algae. Brown food webs are crucial for recycling nutrients, as they provide energy to a wide range of organisms like microbes, fungi, and scavengers that are a food source for other animals.