Government agencies
The states and territories have primary responsibility for land management in Australia's federal system. For more than 130 years, they have been building protected areas by declaring national parks in some of the country's most stunning landscapes. With Australia's signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992, they became foundation partners in building our National Reserve System, part of a groundbreaking collaboration between all levels of government. The Australian model of collaboratively developing its protected area network is a unique conservation partnership envied around the world.
The state and territories continue to be important purchasers and managers of protected areas and are vital partners in developing a 'comprehensive, adequate and representative' National Reserve System.
Local governments
Local councils are vital partners in helping to build the National Reserve System and are increasingly viewing conservation as part of their core business. Most local councils manage a network of reserves and open spaces for community purposes. Many of these places have high conservation value, with valuable bushland, rivers, creeks and wetlands providing habitat for threatened plants and animals. Often these areas need only additional protection measures to be worthy additions to the National Reserve System.
Many councils are partners with regional natural resource management bodies and power and water utilities. These partnerships, allied to their legal responsibilities for local planning and development, mean that councils are ideally placed to establish and manage new protected areas. Local governments also have the greatest capacity of all spheres of government to engage local communities in on-ground conservation activity. They offer the prospect of innovative approaches to the management and protection of conservation properties.
The Australian Government is seeking to work with local government to secure new protected areas, particularly on the outskirts of our towns and cities.
Funding government agencies
The Australian Government, through Caring for our Country's National Reserve System program, provides up to one dollar for every dollar invested by a state or territory agency to add new property to the National Reserve System and up to two dollars for every dollar invested by a local council to add new property to the reserve system. These funds are available for land purchase or for establishing a protected area over existing land. Ongoing management costs are the responsibility of the government agency.
If you are purchasing land, funds may be applied towards the purchase price, to establish a management plan, to defray legal costs, or for help in establishing the protected area by undertaking essential activities such as boundary realignment or fencing.
If your municipality already owns a property with significant conservation value, National Reserve System program funding can be applied towards establishing it as a protected area through gazetting the property or entering into a nature conservation covenant agreement. We also have funds for the cost of management planning and urgent threat abatement work.
You will need to enter into a contract with the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts involving an ongoing commitment to manage the property and report on management outcomes. You will retain ownership of the land, and will need to agree to manage it according to international standards in conservation management.
The National Reserve System Program encourages councils to engage their communities as part of their ongoing conservation management for their properties.We strongly encourage all first-time applicants to contact us to discuss their proposal. Read about criteria and how to apply for funding.