The Nature Conservation Trust of New South Wales (NCT) has executed its fiftieth land covenanting program with Armidale landowners Mike and Liz Ryan, marking a significant milestone in the drive to expand co-operative conservation initiatives and programs on private land in New South Wales.
The covenanting program operated by NCT enables owners to preserve high value conservation land in perpetuity, by entering into a voluntary agreement that protects and looks after the natural values of their rural property, and assists landowners in providing advice and on-going monitoring of the native plants and endangered animals found on their property. Since 2001, NCT land title covenants have protected 26,000 hectares of NSW and played an important part in many land conservation programs.
NCT CEO Paul Toni commented, "Private conservation activities, as exemplified by the Ryans and other covenantees, are becoming increasingly important and common in effective nature conservation and protection in New South Wales.
"Our fiftieth covenant typifies NCT's approach and philosophy - which is based on developing a collaborative and supportive framework with rural landowners, including equipping them with the support and resources for effective conservation and environmental land management practices."
The land title covenant on the Ryan's predominantly sheep and cattle raising property covers 260 hectares of habitat for woodland birds and is now part of the Woodland Birds for Biodiversity Project. The nature conservation area will protect and enhance habitat for barking owls, scarlet robins, little eagles and speckled warblers, amongst a wide variety of other threatened species.
The Woodlands Birds for Biodiversity Project has been funded by the Australian Government's Caring For Our Country initiative, in partnership with Birds Australia, Trust for Nature (Vic) and Tasmanian Land Conservancy. The project has targeted a number of hotspots for the protection of key woodland bird habitat across south-eastern Australia, including in the Lower Hunter Valley, where another landowner has registered a rural land title covenant with NCT which contains a known breeding site for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater.
NCT and Birds Australia worked with the Ryans to identify and validate the high conservation values of the covenanted land, and to ensure that effective and value-adding conservation and land management programs were in place. This project included providing funding for key management actions including fencing for stock control, and the reduction of feral animals and weeds such as Coolatai grass. NCT are also working with Mike to assist him on the identification of birds found on his rural farm.
Elaborating on the outlook for private land conservation, Paul Toni said, "Effective and properly managed conservation practices are increasingly being accepted as integral, legitimate and value adding environmental land use strategies."
"Public nature reserves such as national parks are only a small fraction of the land required to safeguard vital wildlife reserves. Without private land conservation programs increasing their scope and reach, we run the risk of losing much biodiversity and natural heritage."
"Encouragingly, we are seeing more and more rural landowners and farmers being part of real, hands on conservation and environmental practices and initiatives. Our land title covenanting program and service allows landowners to engage in conservation activities in a structured, supportive and integrated framework. This includes accessing and receiving the significant support services and funding programs that are available for private conservation activities," Paul Toni said.
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