Private Land Conservation outcomes

Private Land Conservation Outcomes

226 landholders

have signed or are in the process of signing conservation agreements

Over 59,300 hectares

under new private land conservation agreements

Over $125 million

invested to support conservation agreements

115 threatened species & 20 ecological communities

protected by conservation agreements with the BCT

What We Do

Benefits for Landholders

Landholder Helen Huggins recently signed an in-perpetuity conservation agreement with the BCT for her property, Savernake Station. Here she talks from the heart about the significance of protecting her land for conservation.

New Private Land Conservation Agreements

So far, 226 landholders have signed or plan to sign a conservation agreement with the BCT, creating conservation areas across 59,300 hectares. The BCT is investing more than $125 million to support these agreements. This investment is split 82% for in-perpetuity agreements and 18% for term agreements (minimum 15-years). Landholders with funded agreements are typically being paid between $21 and $423 per hectare per annum to manage these conservation areas. Other agreement holders are eligible to apply for Conservation Partners Grants.

As a result, many unique landscapes, many threatened ecosystems, and habitats for our threatened native plant and animal species are now protected and being managed by private landholders for conservation. These new conservation agreements are protecting 115 unique threatened species and 20 unique threatened ecological communities.

Priority Investment Areas

The Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy 2018 maps areas of the state into five orders of priority, known as Priority Investment Areas 1 to 5, which guides the BCT’s investment priorities. To date the BCT has entered voluntary conservation agreements with landholders over 5,700 hectares of PIA 1 land, 19,800 hectares of PIA 2 land and 1,300 hectares of PIA 3 land.

To learn more about our priority investment areas and to view our Program Implementation Plan, click the below link.

Conservation Management Program

Protecting NSW Landscapes

Target 1 in the BCIS states: By 2023, private land conservation agreements will protect examples of 30 NSW Landscapes that are either not represented within, or are inadequately protected in, the protected area system in 2017.

The BCT met Target 1 in February 2019, four years early. So far, new conservation agreements are protecting examples of five NSW Landscapes that were not previously represented within the protected area system and 77 NSW Landscapes that are inadequately protected.

Reaching Target 1 means that the BCT has contributed progress towards meeting CAR targets. However, this does not mean these NSW Landscapes are now adequately protected or that CAR targets have been met. The BCT will now focus on achieving Target 3, to sample a further 90 unique, inadequately-protected NSW Landscapes.

Diversifying Incomes

Target 3 in the BCIS states: By 2023, diversified incomes streams will improve the financial sustainability of participating landholders relative to similar local businesses.

Of 30 landholders participating in funded conservation agreements surveyed in July 2019, 83 per cent agreed that signing an agreement with the BCT has diversified their income.

Many of the highest priority investment areas identified in the BCIS are in the NSW sheep-wheat belt, which stretches the entire length of the state from the Queensland border to the Victorian border. These areas are our agricultural heartland and support most of the cereal-growing areas and much of the irrigated farmlands of New South Wales. These areas have been extensively cleared for grazing and cropping and there is a relatively low proportion of land in the protected area system. Therefore, the BCT is directing most of its investment in funded conservation agreements in this high-priority part of NSW.

As a result, more than two-thirds (68%) of the BCT’s investment in funded conservation agreements is flowing to graziers, farmers or mixed farming enterprises. These farmers are being paid by the BCT to manage parts of their properties for conservation. The BCT has also invested in threatened grasslands in the Monaro and in high-priority koala habitat on the North Coast.

Conservation Partners Program - Outcomes To Date

The BCT’s Conservation Partners Program is for landholders wishing to protect and manage biodiversity on their land. It is available for landholders who are ineligible to participate in the Conservation Management Program or not seeking a funded agreement.

Conservation Partners Program Outcomes

Landholder Applications

94 conservation agreements & 4 wildlife refuge

agreements signed by landholders with the BCT

21,068 hectares

of land under conservation

Landholders wishing to permanently protect and conserve biodiversity on their land can apply to enter an in-perpetuity conservation agreement with the BCT at any time. A wildlife refuge agreement is an option for landholders who wish to protect their land but do not want to enter a permanent agreement. The BCT has received over 250 applications and we have ramped up our capacity to respond to this demand.

These agreements include many threatened species of fauna such as the Grey-headed Flying-fox, the Glossy Black-cockatoo, the Brush-tailed Phascogale, the Southern Pink Underwing Moth and the Koala and threatened species of flora including the Native Milkwort, Square-fruited Ironbark, Sandstone Rough-barked Apple, Wee Jasper Grevillea, and the Southern Ochrosia.

Revolving Fund

To date, the BCT has revolved two properties and is currently in the process of selling another four properties under the Conservation Partners Program.

Conservation Partners Grants

All landholders with an agreement that does not include annual conservation payments can apply at any time for a conservation partners grant. This applies to agreements with the BCT, and any landholder participating in Humane Society International’s Wildlife Land Trust program or the Community Environment Network’s Land for Wildlife program. Grants can assist landholders to maintain the ecological values of their properties. Find out more.

The BCT is assessing grant applications on an ongoing basis. To date, the BCT has approved grants worth $3.1 million to 191 landholders over 55,800 hectares.

Conservation Management Program - Outcomes To Date

The BCT’s Conservation Management Program is for landholders in priority investment areas or with conservation assets seeking to enter agreements with annual conservation management payments. The BCT uses a range of mechanisms—c onservation tenders, fixed price offers and revolving fund —to encourage landholders to participate.

Conservation Management Program Outcomes

Fixed Price Offers

25 conservation agreements

in BCT’s first three rounds of fixed price offers

9,676 hectares

of land covered by conservation agreements

$16.44 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$19 to $71 per hectare per annum

paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

These conservation areas contain endangered ecological communities such as Semi-evergreen Vine Thicket, Inland Grey Box Woodland, and White Box-Yellow Box-Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland.

Revolving Fund

To date, the BCT has revolved one property and entered a funded conservation agreement with the new landholder. The BCT is currently in the process of selling another four properties under the Conservation Management Program.

Conservation Tenders

The BCT has completed conservation tenders in the below regions.

Conservation Tender No. 1 – Northern Tablelands

19 conservation agreements

in Northern Tablelands

4,500 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$11.2 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$46 to $205 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains priority NSW Landscapes, including Moonbi–Walcha Granites, Niangala Plateau and Slopes, and Dingo Spur Meta-sediments, and hosts threatened fauna species such as the koala, regent honeyeater, squirrel glider and scarlet robin.

Conservation Tender No. 2 – Murray–Riverina

15 conservation agreements

in Murray Riverina

5,890 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$14.2 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$21 to $120 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains seven priority NSW Landscapes and two endangered ecological communities that provide habitat for five threatened species, including the critically endangered plains-wanderer.

Conservation Tender No. 3 – Central Tablelands

13 conservation agreements

in Central Tablelands

3,255 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$14.4 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$59 to $229 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains precious habitat such as Inland Grey Box Woodland and White Box–Yellow Box–Blakely’s Red Gum critically endangered ecological community, and is home to a variety of threatened fauna, including the turquoise parrot, superb parrot, powerful owl, koala, spotted-tailed quoll, grey-crowned babbler, varied sittella and scarlet robin.

Conservation Tender No. 4 – Koala habitat around Port Macquarie

5 conservation agreements

in priority Koala habitat in the Port Macquarie area

173 hectares

of priority Koala habitat covered by these agreements

$6.3 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$423 to $1182 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains important Koala habitat and vegetation communities. It is also home to threatened species including the Wallum froglet, masked owl, square-tailed kite, glossy black-cockatoo, black-necked stork, spotted-tailed quoll, brushtailed phascogale, squirrel glider, common blossom-bat, little bent-wing bat and dwarf heath casuarina.

Conservation Tender No. 5 – Monaro Grasslands

11 conservation agreements

in Monaro Grasslands

1,829 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$12 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$164 to $300 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains natural temperate grasslands that provide habitat for several state and nationally threatened species including the pink-tailed worm-lizard, striped legless lizard, small purple-pea, button wrinklewort, Monaro golden daisy, Austral toadflax and the grassland earless dragon.

Conservation Tender No. 6 – North West Plains

9 conservation agreements

in North West Plains

1,890 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$8.3 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$75 to $423 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains priority NSW Landscapes, and Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) such as Coolibah-Black Box Woodland in the Darling Riverine Plains, Brigalow Belt South, Cobar Peneplain and Mulga Lands Bioregions. Threatened species now protected by these agreements include the black-striped wallaby, powerful owl and red-tailed black-cockatoo.

Conservation Tender No. 7 – South West Slopes

10 conservation agreements

in South West Slopes

3,246 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$11.5 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$42 to $219 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

These contain several priority NSW Landscapes and threatened ecological communities such as Inland Grey Box Woodland, White Box Yellow Box Blakely’s Red Gum Woodland and Sandhill Pine Woodland, that provide habitat for a variety of threatened species, including the superb parrot, glossy black-cockatoo, squirrel glider and the critically endangered swift parrot.

Conservation Tender No. 8 – Lachlan Corridor

3 conservation agreements

in Lachlan Corridor

1,355 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$7.0 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$234 to $381 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains important riparian vegetation, protecting stands of ancient River Red Gums which provide habitat and hollows for threatened birds, bats and arboreal mammals. Fauna reliant on this vegetation include the superb parrot, bush stone-curlew, eastern pygmy-possum and barking owl.

Conservation Tender No. 9 – Koala Habitat in Lismore/Ballina

5 conservation agreements

in priority koala habitat in the Lismore/Ballina area

82 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$1.6 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$120 to $1637 per hectare per annum

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contain important koala habitat, as well as threatened ecological communities including Sub-tropical Coastal Floodplain Forest, and Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal Floodplains. This area is also home to threatened species including the sooty owl, squirrel glider and grey-crowned babbler.

Conservation Tender No. 10 – Central West Rivers

9 conservation agreements

in the Macquarie River area north-west of Dubbo

3,900 hectares

of land covered by these agreements

$10.5 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$47 to $308 per hectare per year

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains important wetlands as it is adjacent to the internationally-significant Macquarie Marshes, as well as grassy woodlands that are under threat. Threatened ecological communities in the area include:

Myall Woodland in the Darling Riverine Plains, Brigalow Belt South, Cobar Peneplain, Murray-Darling Depression, Riverina and NSW South Western Slopes bioregions.
Inland Grey Box Woodland in the Riverina, NSW South Western Slopes, Cobar Peneplain, Nandewar and Brigalow Belt South Bioregions.
Poplar Box Grassy Woodland on Alluvial Plains.
Coolibah-Black Box Woodland in the Darling Riverine Plains, Brigalow Belt South, Cobar Peneplain and Mulga Lands Bioregions.

Conservation Tender No. 11 – Southern Highlands Koala Habitat

5 conservation agreements

in the Southern Highlands

1,094 hectares

of land with koala habitat protected by these agreements

$11.8 million

invested to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders

$167 to $311 per hectare per year

is paid to landholders over the life of these agreements

The area covered by these agreements contains important Koala habitat and includes locally significant, preferred feed trees. By securing koala habitat on private land, the agreements improve connectivity and facilitate movement between formal reserves.

The conservation areas include stands of Robertson Basalt Tall Open-Forest and Southern highlands shale woodlands which are threatened ecological communities, and supports populations of threatened or vulnerable species including: the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), gang gang cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum), glossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), flame robin (Petroica phoenicea), yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis), soft geebung (Persoonia mollis subsp. revoluta) and Camden woollybutt (Eucalyptus macarthurii).