The Great Victoria Desert Biodiversity Trust is an environmental initiative which conserves and increases knowledge of biodiversity in the Great Victoria Desert.

AngloGold Ashanti established the Great Victoria Desert Biodiversity Trust in 2013 as part of the biodiversity offset approach for the Tropicana Gold Mine located on the desert’s western edge. Tropicana is a joint venture between AngloGold Ashanti and IGO. The Trust supports research and on‑ground conservation in two of the desert’s six ecological sub-regions.

Extensive flora and fauna surveys as part of the approvals process for Tropicana ensured mine design minimised biodiversity disturbance and informed the project’s environmental impact assessment.

The Trust funded the first Sandhill Dunnart Research and Adaptive Management Plan incorporating community, Traditional Owner, land manager and other expertise. Subsequent Greening Australia surveys funded by the Trust:

• Identifed two new Sandhill Dunnart sites. Fifty-two other fauna species were also recorded, possibly including a Great Desert Skink – the first official report in the region since the 1960s
• Increased total bird and mammal species records to 172 for the region, including a rare sighting of the Scarlet-chested Parrot.