The main mechanism the Nature Conservation Trust (NCT) uses to finance and further nature conservation is its Conservation Property Fund.
This fund was established in 2003 by way of Federal and State government grants. It is sustained by grants and private donations.
The Conservation Property Fund is a revolving fund that purchases rural properties of high conservation value. A conservation land covenant is then placed on the property and, when it is sold, the money raised goes back into the property fund to purchase more rural properties, and so the cycle continues.
The Conservation Property Fund is an efficient and renewable source of capital and allows the NCT to:
- buy land of high conservation value;
- manage it sustainably and improve its conservation and agricultural assets;
- attach a conservation covenant; and
- resell the property to a supportive buyer.
Recycling scarce conservation dollars this way gives the NCT a degree of self-sufficiency. It also enables us to enjoy a much greater conservation return on our initial land investment. The NCT normally generates enough in land sales to cover the cost of applying the land covenant and our running costs.
A conservation gift that keeps on giving
The revolving Conservation Property Fund is also an attractive option for land owners who want to donate outstanding rural real estate to the NCT. When they support the NCT’s Conservation Property Fund in this way, they know that their land will be permanently protected. But it’s a gift that keeps on giving. When that property is sold, the proceeds go towards buying other properties of high conservation value, thereby expanding the State’s conservation estate.
Achieving nature conservation goals on private lands demands innovative thinking and astute financial management. The NCT Conservation Property Fund delivers this and much more.
