On 31 July 2020 the NSW environment minister Matt Kean announced the outcomes of the BCT’s recent Central West Rivers conservation tender. Nine successful bidders have been invited to enter private land conservation agreements covering 3,900 hectares. These agreements will protect landscapes ranging from threatened woodlands to nationally significant wetlands.
The landholders will receive annual funding for managing conservation areas on their property and have agreed to protect these conservation areas for a minimum of 15 years or, in some cases, permanently. The BCT has invested $10.5 million to support the ongoing annual payments to these landholders.
The Minister also announced the BCT will open three new conservation tenders in the second half of 2020.
The tenders will be run in the BCT regions of Murray-Riverina (to protect the critically endangered Plains-wanderer bird), South East (focusing on Snow Gum Grassy Woodlands and Grasslands) and Northern Inland (aimed at conserving the floodplains of the region).
Property holders in the three mapped areas, with native vegetation of sufficient size and condition, may be eligible to apply for the tenders. Additional information, including maps, eligibility and key dates will be available on the current tenders page in the coming months.
Visit our conservation tenders page for more information about how BCT conservation tenders work.