A range of incentives are provided by different levels of Government and Catchment Management Authorities to landholders who enter into a conservation covenant with Trust for Nature.


Tax concessions

To qualify for an income tax deduction all of the following conditions must be met:

• The covenant must be entered into on or after 1 July 2002.
• The covenant must be entered into over land which you own – leased property is not eligible.
• The covenant entered into must be perpetual.
• You must not receive money, property or any other material benefit for entering into the covenant.
• The covenant must be entered into with a deductible gift recipient (DGR).
• The market value of the land must decrease as a result of your entering into the covenant.
• The change in the market value of the land must be more than $5000 due to the covenant. If the decrease in value of the land is less than $5000, you will only be eligible for a deduction if the land was acquired not more than 12 months before entering into the covenant and you meet all the above conditions.

For more information go to:

Land Management Incentives

Every Catchment Management Authority has different land management guidelines in relation to conservation covenants. The following table lists known incentives in each CMA area:

CMA region	Fencing incentives	Stewardship incentives	Other incentives
Corangamite	Corangamite Shire offers rate rebates up to $1,000 per annum. Additional funds may be available through GHCMA and Trust for Nature for fencing, etc.		Rate rebates are available in Corangamite Shire areas. Corangamite Shire currently allows up to $1000 rebate per annum on Trust for Nature covenanted areas.
East Gippsland	100% subsidy, including boundary fencing (when funds are available)	Funding is available for some restoration works, no standards have been set	Covenant incentive funds are presently available for the Gippsland Plains area of up to $500 per ha. Annual Rate Rebates for covenanting in the Wellington shire of minimum $100 or $5 per hectare.
Glenelg-Hopkins	Depending on available funding the Glenelg Hopkins CMA offers higher fencing grants to landholders with sites approved under their Partnership Projects Program [waterways] if the area is to be permanently protected with a Trust for Nature covenant.	Trust for Nature [subject to available funds] offer grants to implement agreed management plans on covenanted areas.	Rate rebates up to $1000 per landholder within Corangamite Shire Council on covenanted land. Pyrenees Shire provide a 50% rate rebate and exemption from the Waste Facility Charge.
Goulburn-Broken	Full cost of internal and boundary fences		Rate rebates available from Moira, Mitchell, Mansfield, and City of Greater Shepparton shire councils
Mallee	The Mallee CMA supplies full cost of fencing labour and materials, one Shire (Buloke) has a rate rebate.	RCIP funding can be linked to new covenants or via Stewardship program
North Central	CMA provides fencing grants through the ecosystem specific Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands Project.	City of Bendigo offer a one-off upfront payment of $25 per hectare protected and a 100% rate rebate on the protected area thereafter (NB the rate rebate does not apply to capital improved value of land). Macedon Ranges Shire also offer 100% waiver of rates over the area of land protected. Hepburn Shire offer a special reduced rate for land protected by a conservation covenant. Pyrenees Shire provide a 50% rate rebate and excemption from the Waste Facility Charge.	Some funding available through North Central CMA Landcare Community Grants. Pest and weed control funding may also be available through the Box-Gum Grassy Woodlands Project.
North East	Full cost reimbursement in priority areas via Bush Improvement Grants and the Care of Remnants Incentive Scheme	Bush Improvement Grants available for weed control, enhancement, restoration and transitional payments in priority areas.	See North East Grants Calender on the CMA's website for the range of grants available
Port Phillip	TBA
West Gippsland	$6.00 a metre can be claimed for fencing for covenanting through Greening Australia		Annual Rate Rebates for covenanting in the Wellington shire of minimum $100 or $5 per hectare.
Wimmera		No standard incentives. Sometimes available via Trust for Nature

Note: these incentives are all dependent on the availability of funding. Please contact regional staff for more information.

For further information on the range of incentives available, please visit your CMA's website:

Corangamite Catchment Management Authority
East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority
Glenelg-Hopkins Catchment Management Authority
Goulburn-Broken Catchment Management Authority
Mallee Catchment Management Authority
North Central Catchment Management Authority
North East Catchment Management Authority
Port Phillip Catchment Management Authority
West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority
Wimmera Catchment Management Authority

Market-based instruments for Conservation

Some useful links below:
http://www.alga.asn.au/policy/environment/nrm/biodiversity/caseStudies.php
http://www.environment.gov.au/land/publications/taxman/index.html
http://www.environment.gov.au/land/publications/conserve/index.html