Private conservations - ecosmagazine.com

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There’s no doubting the value of NationalParks and other public reserves to theconservation of Australia’s ecosystems, butin the last few decades these relativelymodest provisions funded by governmentcontribution are increasingly beingcomplemented by conservation on privatelands, facilitated through a range of non-government organisations. It’s a quietconservation revolution.

Australia has exceptional levels of plantand animal diversity and is one of theworld’s 17 mega-diverse nations. TheUnited States and Australia are the onlydeveloped countries in the group and, as aconsequence, have a unique responsibilityin terms of global conservation.

Official figures indicate that only about10 per cent of Australia’s landmass lieswithin formal protected areas – most of thecontinent remains outside the system, muchof this being private land. The traditionalapproach of a formal parks system alone,therefore, is insufficient to meet the emerg-ing challenges facing our environment.

Last year, Penelope Figgis, then Vice-President of the Australian ConservationFoundation, produced an IUCN paper enti-tled ‘Conservation on Private Lands: theAustralian Experience’1, in which shediscussed the subtle shift from public sectornature conservation to a new focus on

private lands and the involvement of privatelandholders. Figgis is currently the Vice-Chair for Australia and New Zealand of theWorld Commission on Protected Areas.

‘There is now a broad consensus that,while we must continue to add to theformal national reserve network, we mustalso turn to other lands, especially privatelands, and produce workable mechanisms

which will stem the decline and result inlong-term biodiversity gains,’ Figgis said.‘Personally, I believe this whole area ofprivate-sector reserves is a critical compo-nent if we are to achieve really long-lastingconservation.’

One of the drivers of this change inapproach is a lack of representativeness inthe reserve system. Reserves tend to be insteep, unproductive land, so that there aremajor gaps in the reserve areas that coin-cide with landscapes most desirable forcropping or pastoralism.

According to Figgis, the ‘charismaticlandscapes’ of the coasts, forests and moun-tain wildernesses have, in the past, receivedmore priority in our formal reserves thanless dramatic inland environments. She says

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Doug Humann, CEO of the Australian BushHeritage Fund, with a Thorny Devil atCravens Peak. Humann sees the urgency forconservation groups to work together tosecure the future of Australia’s biodiversity.Wayne Lawler/Ecopix, courtesy Bush Heritage

1 See www.acfonline.org.au

Land trusts, also known as heritage, private or statutory conservationtrusts, have led the recent growth of conservation on privately heldland.They seem to be well organised, well informed and financiallyviable and now, collectively, hold stewardship over hundreds ofthousands of hectares of land, chosen for its high conservation value.How do these trusts work, what have they achieved, and where arethey headed?

Private conservations

Above: The harshness of Cravens Peakcountry belies its precious diversity.Wayne Lawler/Ecopix, courtesy Bush Heritage

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we need to achieve conservation in themore productive lands and this meansworking with private landholders.

If we want 80 per cent of Australia’secosystems represented in reserves then we need to protect another 22 millionhectares, according to a 2002 report to the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineeringand Innovation Council (PMSEIC)2.That’s another three per cent of Australia’slandmass.

Private initiatives gain strengthDoug Humann is CEO of the AustralianBush Heritage Fund (known as BushHeritage), the private land conservationbody with the largest supporter base inAustralia. He says ‘to achieve that PMSEICtarget we’ve got to harness the spirit of

conservation within the Australiancommunity, find the right partners andwork collaboratively. The challenge is toraise sufficient funds in time to protect thethreatened places.’

Only two per cent of the 2.8 billiondollars donated to non-profit organisa-tions in Australia are currently given to theenvironment, but Humann thinks this canchange. ‘Private land conservation is avibrant, dynamic and growing sector, andit’s possible that it will expand the size ofthe philanthropic pie.’

Trust for Nature (TfN), Australia’soldest land trust organisation, began life in1972 as the Victorian Conservation Trust.Although its core work remains in Victoria,TfN has become the model for creation ofland trusts in four other states.

Dr Chris Williams is the ConservationManager for TfN. ‘Our mission is toprotect all significant natural areas in

private ownership and if our overall ambi-tion is to capture representative examplesof all vegetation communities, we have nochoice but to engage with private land-holders,’ he says.

‘Ecosystems on privately owned landsfar outweigh public reserves in Australiaso, at TfN, we work with landholders andour conservation partners to permanentlysecure and then integrate valuable frag-ments of habitat into functioning land-scapes,’ Williams told Ecos.

The commonwealth government, mean-while does support private conservation,seeing it as a cost-effective way to meetbiodiversity conservation targets. TheNational Reserve System program underthe Natural Heritage Trust assists infunding the establishment of privateprotected areas and contributed, forexample, $1.8 million to the purchase ofCravens Peak. The taxation regime has also

2 Setting Biodiversity Priorities. See: www.dest.gov.au/sectors/science_innovation/publications_ resources/indexes/prime_ministers_science_engineering_ innovation_council.htm

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been improved, with more effective taxincentives for gifts of land and for any lossof land value created by entering into aconservation covenant.

What do land trusts get up to?A number of these non-government, non-profit land trusts operate in Australia, withthe best known probably being Trust forNature, the Australian Bush Heritage Fund,the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and,based in the United States, The NatureConservancy. Other non-governmentorganisations also purchase land forconservation purposes, including BirdsAustralia and Greening Australia.

Trust for Nature concentrates on land-scape-scale conservation and it employs aset of three mechanisms to achieve this;namely, Conservation Covenants (landtitle-tied conservation agreements), aRevolving Fund (for the purchase,covenanting and then turnover of privateproperties) and Land Acquisition (for thelong-term acquisition of privately heldland with unique conservation value).

Chris Williams is enthusiastic about thevalue of covenants in the Trust’s conserva-

tion toolbox. He says the simple explana-tion for covenants is that the landholderdonates away certain property rights, suchas clearing, subdivision or other uses thatare a threat to the land’s biodiversity.Covenants remain on property titles inperpetuity, therefore binding all subse-quent owners of covenanted properties tothe conservation aspirations of the originaltitleholders.

‘The beauty of covenants is that they area very efficient way to conserve or promotebiodiversity because part or all of the prop-erty is conserved,’ Williams says. ‘The land-holder still retains ownership of theproperty and continues to manage andcare for it, but the Trust doesn’t wear theexpense of purchasing all of the land.’

‘However, Trust for Nature, through itsstewardship program, conscientiously helpslandholders with ongoing management oftheir land. In this way, good conservationoutcomes can be achieved by covenantingwithout the Trust needing to spend its

precious funding on outright acquisition.’As well as not-for-profit organisations

(such as the land trusts), government agen-cies or local councils can also act ascovenanting bodies. Covenanting andrelated conservation incentive mechanismsnow operate throughout Australia3 andabout 2000 landholders nationally nowmanage all or part of their land under aconservation covenant.

Trust for Nature’s Revolving Fund isanother conservation tool that essentially‘recycles’ funds from donations, bequestsand the Natural Heritage Trust fund.Parcels of land supporting threatenedecosystems, such as grassland or woodland,are purchased, protected by covenant, andthen sold again – to replenish the revolvingfund for future land purchases (see the casestudy on page 24).

‘To date, we have bought some 42 prop-erties through the revolving fund,’ says ZoeDavies, Communications Manager at TfN.Asked if putting a covenant on the landdiminishes their market value, Davies saysthat, to the contrary, there is a livelyboutique market for protected propertiesblessed with native vegetation and wildlife.The property advertising service in theTrust’s online magazine gets about 10 000hits every three months.

The revolving fund model – first used by

the US-based Nature Conservancy andpioneered here by TfN – is gaining accept-ance. Several states have in operation or aresetting up equivalent bodies. Australia-wide,the commonwealth has allocated at least $5 million to promote revolving funds.

3 The October 2005 issue of Bush, published by the Department ofHeritage and Environment and Australian Farm Journal, throughthe Natural Heritage Trust, features a number of conservationcovenant systems in each state and territory.

The Ned’s Corner Station holding includes 35 kilometres of high habitat-value river frontage.Trust for Nature

A young Tawny Frogmouth.Trust for Nature’scovenanting program aims to help ensurethat the older trees on properties thatprovide crucial nesting habitat for manyanimals are protected. Trust for Nature

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Protection by purchaseAll land trusts share the fundamental strat-egy of purchasing private land for reten-tion as protected areas.

During its 33 years of operation, Trustfor Nature has acquired 110 key conserva-tion properties under its Land Acquisitionprogram. One of these was Ned’s CornerStation, Victoria’s largest freehold property,bought during 2002 with assistance fromthe National Reserve System program, theRE Ross Trust and The NatureConservancy.

This property alone features 30 000hectares of high-value, semi-arid and river-ine native vegetation and 35 kilometres ofMurray River frontage. Ned’s Corner isbecoming an important research resourcefor university scientists on a range ofsubjects from conservation science to futuremanagement of privately held reserves.

Since 1972, Trust for Nature has alsotransferred nearly 60 properties (more than5000 hectares) to the Victorian Govern-ment for inclusion in the parks and reservessystem. However, the Trust plans to retainNed’s Corner as a flagship property.

Similarly, the Australian Bush Heritage

Fund is a national, independent, non-profit business committed to protectingunique animals and plants in habitats ofhigh conservation value. It acquires landand water of outstanding ecological signifi-cance, by purchase, gift or bequest. Bush

Heritage was born in 1990 when environ-mentalist (now Senator) Bob Browndonated $50 000. Today it has assets ofaround $14 million and is supported bymore than 14 000 donors. Monies areraised by tax-deductible donations fromthe public and funding organisations,including government support.

Bush Heritage doesn’t muck around. Itnow has 21 reserves across the country and

in 2004 the organisation purchased a hugeproperty, known as Ethabuka Station, onthe edge of the Simpson Desert, south-westof Boulia, in far western-Queensland. Thismonth it settled on its largest acquisitionto date, Cravens Peak, to the north ofEthabuka. The new reserve is the size ofmetropolitan Sydney and, together, the twoproperties cover 4500 square kilometres.(See page 26.)

The biological diversity on thesereserves is astounding. More than 220animal species have been recorded. Thesand dune country alone supports therichest assemblage of reptile fauna of anydesert in the world.

As with all Bush Heritage reserves, afterdetailed ecological assessments a cooperativemanagement plan is being implementedwith neighbours and traditional owners –including the management of culturalheritage. Actions for the reserves include:ecosystem restoration, monitoring andcontrol of feral animals and weeds, fuel-reduction burning, revegetation, wildlifesurveys, scientific research, and so on.

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy(AWC), a public charitable organisation

The original cottage at the Trust for Nature’s flagship property, Ned’s Corner Station, on the Murray River, Victoria. Trust for Nature

Ned’s Corner is becoming animportant research resource foruniversity scientists on a rangeof subjects from conservationscience to future managementof privately held reserves.

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with origins tracing back to wealthybusinessman Martin Copley, isparticularly active in Western andnorthern Australia. It now owns andmanages 13 sanctuaries covering 655 000hectares. It has taken over many of theproperties owned by John Wamsley’sEarth Sanctuaries venture and is currentlydiscussing a partnership with BirdsAustralia to run Newhaven Station in the Northern Territory. AWC sanctuariesnow protect at least 132 ecosystems,40 threatened ecosystems and 135threatened animal species.

Although not on quite the same scale asthe other land trusts, being principally anornithological society, Birds Australia haspurchased two properties to date. GluepotReserve was purchased in 1997 and is partof the Bookmark Biosphere Reserve inSouth Australia’s Riverland region. Itcontains 50 000 hectares of virgin malleeand helps protect six nationally threatenedbird species and 17 regionally threatened

birds, including the Major MitchellCockatoo.

Newhaven Station is some five timeslarger than Gluepot at 262 000 hectares

and lies in the arid zone, north west ofAlice Springs. It provides refuge for at least15 nationally threatened species of animalsand plants, possibly including the elusiveNight Parrot, and boasts 10 vegetationcommunities and an array of landforms.

Alexandra de Blas, of the AustralianBush Heritage Fund, says the sheer scale ofthe land conservation challenge meansthere is room for a range of players in theprivate sphere. ‘There’s a mix of healthy

competition and collaboration amongstthem, but if we’re to connect up thecountry on a landscape scale, groups haveto work together,’ she says.

The Gondwana Link project in south-west Western Australia is one of the bestillustrations of this idea. Five groups areworking together to link a 700 kilometrebelt of bushland corridor from the Karriforests to Kalgoorlie (see www.gond-wanalink.org).

Thinking globallyThe Nature Conservancy sees itself as aleading force in developing creative andcooperative options for financing conser-vation internationally. Working with otherland trusts and government agencies, it hashelped to protect 117 million acres world-wide. The Conservancy began in the 1950sas a small land trust in the United Statesand has now evolved into one of thecountry’s largest charities. It has beenoperating in Australia since 1999.

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From left: the Tiger Orchid, Blue Wire Lily and Pink Fingers Orchid at one of Trust for Nature’s covenanted properties in Fernbank, Victoria.Lionel Rose/Trust for Nature

Left: Some of Trust for Nature’s covenantors also operate environmental businesses, such as the team at Wetland Creations based at Boogoolum,on the Mornington Peninsula,Victoria. Right: Nursery grown natives await planting for wetland restoration at the Boogoolum property. Trust for Nature

Five groups are working together to link a 700-kilometre belt ofbushland corridor from the Karri forests to Kalgoorlie.

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Director of the Conservancy’sAustralian program, Mr Kent Wommack,says that the organisation made a decisionto work with existing Australian land trustsrather than to duplicate them.

‘Through our Conservation Fellowshipsprogram, which seconds seniorConservancy staff with Australian landtrusts for the exchange of skills and expert-ise, we can convey the benefit of our 50years of experience in both great successesand occasional mistakes,’ says Wommack.‘Recent fellowships have assisted partnergroups with conservation planningmethodologies, fundraising, and conserva-tion tax policies, among other issues criti-cal to conservation in Australia.’

The Conservancy has also given majorgrants to Trust for Nature, the AustralianBush Heritage Fund, the AustralianWildlife Conservancy, and the GondwanaLink project for specific land acquisitions.To date, The Nature Conservancy hasdonated over $5 million to support thesegroups’ efforts. This funding has helpedthe land trusts acquire over 400 000hectares of land in the last two years alone.

Wommack told Ecos that for the firsttime in its long history, the NatureConservancy is now in the process ofsetting a truly global conservation goal thatis almost breathtaking in its scope.

‘We are still crunching the numbers,talking to scientists, and looking at feasibil-ity, but the Conservancy’s tentative target isto work with others to “effectivelyconserve” 10 per cent of every majorhabitat on Earth by 2015,’ Wommack said.

‘Given its unique biodiversity anddifferent habitats – from rainforest todeserts, grasslands to Mediterraneanecosystems – Australia will figure veryprominently in this goal. It is a dauntingchallenge, but it might just be achievable if

we work in collaboration with otherconservation organisations, communitiesand governments,’ he said.

Some challenging issuesIn the broad context of private conserva-tion, Penelope Figgis raises a number ofissues that need resolution. ‘I amconcerned,’ she says,‘that the growingincorporation of private lands into ournational conservation effort could blurpublic expectations of a protected area andcreate a Trojan horse for forces like theextractive industries, such as mining andforestry, to build opposition to strictlyprotected areas like National Parks. Thiswould defy good science.

‘Similarly, the entry of private interestsinto conservation could be used topromote privatisation of the managementof National Parks … which could mean thedomination of commercial imperativesover those of conservation,’ she says. ‘I amcertainly not saying that people in our landtrust organisations think this way, but weneed to be cautious of any unintendedconsequences.’

In fact, according to Figgis, it can beargued that private organisations can bemore focussed on ecological managementof reserves as they are not distracted ordiverted by the need to manage largenumbers of visitors and by the infrastruc-ture costs of public parks.

On a positive note, she concludes thatthe transformation that we are witnessingin biodiversity conservation, as a whole,will draw into active conservation a muchbroader cross-section of society. The manyprotected ecosystems that result will becritical components of sustainable land-scapes and a bio-diverse future. Our landtrusts seem to be playing an importantpart in working towards this vision.

Speaking of the future, Wommack saysthe Nature Conservancy sees a need formore focus on freshwater and marineconservation worldwide. Australia isperhaps leading the way with the GreatBarrier Reef Marine Park, but more needsto be done both here and in other parts ofthe world.

‘In Australia,’ he says, ‘we must workmore closely with private landholders tohelp ensure that activities like forestry andgrazing outside reserves become trulysustainable in their operations. The fate ofAustralia’s wildlife will be determined inlarge part by how well private lands aremanaged in the future.’

• Steve Davidson

More information:Australian Bush Heritage Fund:www.bushheritage.org

The Australian Wildlife Conservancy:www.australianwildlife.org

Birds Australia: www.birdsaustralia.com.au

Gondwana Link: www.gondwanalink.org

Figgis, P. (2004) Conservation on PrivateLands: the Australian Experience. IUCN,Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Possingham, H., Ryan, S., Baxter, J. andMorton, S. (2002) Setting BiodiversityPriorities (background paper).See www.dest.gov.au/sectors/ science_innova-tion/publications_resources/indexes/prime_ministers_science_engineering_innovation_council.htm

The Nature Conservancy: www.nature.orgTrust for Nature: www.tfn.org.au

Contacts:Alexandra de Blas and Doug Humann,Australian Bush Heritage Fund, (03) 8610 9100Penelope Figgis, World Commission onProtected Areas, [email protected] Wommack, The Nature Conservancy –Australia, (07) 3435 5900Chris Williams and Zoe Davies, Trust forNature, (03) 9670 9933

‘In Australia,’ he says,‘we mustwork more closely with privateland holders to help ensure that activities like forestry and grazing outside reserves become truly sustainable in their operations.’

The AustralianBush HeritageFund nowmanages21 properties ofhigh conservationvalue acrossAustralia.Australian Bush Heritage Fund

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