Parks

National Reserve System

Getting involved in the NRS - Farmers and graziers

Muggon, photo by Nick Rains
Muggon, WA
Photo: Nick Rains

Private landholders, passionate and knowledgeable about their land, are playing an ever more important role in building the National Reserve System.

The protected area network cannot be built by land purchase alone. Whilst national parks and reserves are the backbone of the network, many vulnerable plants, animals and critical habitats exist only on private land that is not for sale. Much of this land has been proudly passed down generation to generation and will never be for sale outside the family. But now farmers and graziers are finding an alternative route to conservation, by voluntarily placing perpetual covenants over parts of their working properties. In this way, they know that they are helping to protect valuable habitat and leaving the land better off for their children and grandchildren.

Along the agricultural zones of the southern eastern seaboard, where so much of the land is fragmented by residential development and agriculture, private protected areas are desperately needed to extend the National Reserve System. By linking belts of privately protected land to the existing havens of national parks and reserves, we can protect our water resources and extend the habitat range for our wildlife in the face of climate change.

In the last decade or so, more than 2,000 farmers and graziers have placed conservation covenants on parts of their working properties. South Australia leads the way, with more than 1400 covenanted properties. In Tasmania, there are more than 300 individual covenants, with over 100 negotiated as part of the innovative Protected Areas on Private Land Program. Complementing the gazetted public reserves system, an extraordinary network of committed and experienced landholders, are addressing critical gaps in the National Reserve System on their land.

Each area of land needs different care, so each covenant is different. Some landowners fence off valuable native habitat from grazing areas, whilst others guarantee to keep land free of weeds and animal pests or from introduced materials like soils and gravel.

Landholders get government support for signing covenants, which can include relief from rates and taxes, equipment and expert advice. But for most of them, the real bonus is the direct advice they get from local NRS partners on the ground - such as the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA)  or the Tasmanian Land Conservancy  in Tasmania. The local partners help draw up management plans which take into account both the need to manage for conservation with the fundamental requirement to maintain a viable working property.

These farmers are finding it possible to look after the environment and run a profitable business at the same time. Many farmers are finding new markets and a 'green' profit premium by badging their products as environmentally sustainable. Many have discovered that sustainable farming leaves their property in a better condition and increases its value for their children and grandchildren. As a nation it is very important that we encourage and value farmers' skills and expertise in striking a balance between making a living off the land while protecting our conservation values. The NRS Program is very supportive of looking at innovative ways in which these partnerships can be further developed.