Private land conservation outcomes

The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) encourages and supports private landholders to participate in biodiversity conservation. 

Since its establishment on 25 August 2017, 84 landholders have entered a Conservation Agreement with the BCT, placing more than 19,000 hectares of land, and the biodiversity it is home to, under conservation.

As a result, many landscapes and ecosystems, and the vulnerable or endangered native species they host, are now being managed and protected. 

 

Conservation Management Program

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, including Conservation Tenders and Fixed Price Offers, to encourage landholders to participate.
 

Conservation Tender - Northern Inland

The BCT’s first Conservation Tender in the Northern Inland resulted in 12 Conservation Agreements covering 2,700 hectares. 

These contain priority NSW Landscapes, including Moonbi–Walcha Granites, Niangala Plateau and Slopes, and Dingo Spur Meta-sediments, and host threatened fauna species such as the koala, the Regent honeyeater, the Squirrel Glider and the Scarlet robin. 

The BCT has invested $4.7 million to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders. 

Typically, the BCT is paying these landholders from $51 to $152 per hectare per annum over the life of these agreements. 

 

Conservation Tender - Murray–Riverina 

The BCT’s second Conservation Tender in the Murray–Riverina resulted in 11 Conservation Agreements covering nearly 5,000 hectares. 

These contain seven priority NSW Landscapes and two endangered ecological communities that provide habitat for five threatened species, including the critically endangered Plains-wanderer.  

The BCT has invested $13.1 million to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders. 

Typically, the BCT is paying these landholders from $38 to $120 per hectare per annum over the life of these agreements.

 

Conservation Tender - Central Tablelands

The BCT’s third Conservation Tender in the Central Tablelands resulted in 13 Conservation Agreements covering 3,400 hectares. 

These contain precious habitat such as Inland Grey Box Woodland and White Box–Yellow Box–Blakely’s Red Gum critically endangered ecological community, and are home to a variety of threatened fauna, including turquoise parrots, super parrots, powerful owls, koalas, spotted-tailed quolls, grey-crowned babblers, varied sittellas and scarlet robins.

The BCT has invested $14.4 million to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders. 

Typically, the BCT is paying these landholders from $59 to $229 per hectare per annum over the life of these agreements.

 

Conservation Tender - Koala habitat around Port Macquarie

The BCT’s fourth Conservation Tender in the Port Macquarie area resulted in five Conservation Agreements covering 173 hectares of priority koala habitat. 

These contain important koala habitat and vegetation communities. They are also home to threatened fauna and flora species including 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. 

The BCT has invested $6.3 million to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders. 

Typically, the BCT is paying these landholders from $423 to $1182 per hectare per annum over the life of these agreements.

 

Conservation Tender - Monaro Grasslands

The BCT’s fifth Conservation Tender in the Monaro Grasslands resulted in nine Conservation Agreements covering about 1,700 hectares. 

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

The BCT has invested $11.3 million to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders. 

Typically, the BCT is paying these landholders from $150 to $290 per hectare per annum over the life of these agreements.

 

Fixed Price Offer - batch one

The BCT’s first batch of Fixed Price Offers resulted in nine Conservation Agreements with landholders covering 3,460 hectares. 

These ten 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.

The BCT has invested $5.95 million to fund the annual conservation management payments to these landholders. 

Typically, the BCT is paying these landholders from $19 to $60 per hectare per annum over the life of these agreements.
 

 

Conservation Partners Program 

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.

 

Landholder applications

Landholders wishing to permanently protect and conserve biodiversity on their land can apply to enter an in-perpetuity Conservation Agreement or Wildlife Refuge Agreement with the BCT at any time. The BCT has received over 250 applications and we are ramping up our capacity to respond to this demand.

To date, the BCT has entered 25 Conservation Agreements with landholders, covering more than 2,800 hectares.

These agreements include many threatened species of fauna such as the Grey-headed Floying-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.

 

Conservation Partners Grants

All landholders with an agreement with BCT (or HSI and CEN) that does not include annual conservation management payments can apply at any time for a Conservation Partners Grants. Grants can assist landholders to maintain the ecological values of their properties. Find out more

The BCT is assessing and offering grants to landholders on an ongoing basis.

 

 

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.