Wesfarmers Case Study

Wesfamers is one of Australia’s largest public companies and Australia's largest retailer. Wesfarmers is the largest employer in Australia, with over 200,000 employees across the country.

In 2005 Wesfarmers decided  to support the Great Southern Arc project, part of the Gondwana Link vision. Great Southern Arc focuses specifically on reconnecting the Fitzgerald River and Stirling Range national parks in Western Australia's Great Southern Arc region.

In 2006 Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve was acquired with generous support from Wesfarmers.  The Wesfarmers donation of $750,000 over three years was instrumental in Greening Australia and Bush heritage being able to acquire the Yarrabee property.

The 923 ha Yarrabee Wesfarmers Reserve is the critical link from the Stirling Ranges National Park into the Gondwana Link pathway in Western Australia. It is a varied landscape that encompasses tall marri/jarrah woodlands, low mallee and Banksia woodland. It is the site of the most extensive ecological restoration work yet attempted in Australia. The property is jointly owned by Bush Heritage and Greening Australia.

"We decided to get involved because this area had been identified as a biodiversity hotspot requiring urgent action to protect and enhance and restore natural habitats and ecosystems. It was an opportunity for us to make a practical contribution to this important work and to broaden the Wesfarmers community support programme from its traditional base in medical research and education," says Keith Kessell from Wesfamers.

"We started up in 1914 as a farmers' cooperative and although the present-day Wesfarmers is a very different sort of entity, our links to the land in WA are still strong. This donation is consistent with our recognition of the importance of environmental issues in the company's pursuit of a sustainable future."