Who we are
We protect and restore nature on private land in Victoria.
Forever.
For over 50 years, Trust for Nature has worked alongside Victorians to create a future where our native plants and animals can be valued, protected and thriving.
We have unique powers enshrined in legislation to permanently protect habitat on private land in Victoria, help meet biodiversity targets locally and globally, and to mitigate the effects of climate change.
To date, in partnership with 1,500+ private landholders, we have permanently protected more than 117,000 hectares of ecologically significant habitat on private land in Victoria
Protecting private land matters.
In Victoria, 62% of the land is privately owned and 78% of the native vegetation on that land is rare or threatened.
Vast areas of natural habitats for native plants and animals, many unique to Victoria, are under threat from land clearing, overharvesting, changing climate and population growth. Without the land that provides their homes, species become extinct.
We urgently need to scale up efforts to protect, conserve and regenerate Victoria’s private land before it’s gone forever.
Practical solutions to fight climate change.
The science around climate change mitigation is clear: this is the decade that matters.
Nature-based solutions are key to reducing carbon emissions and solving the crisis. Permanently protecting habitat on private land not only helps wildlife adapt, it helps mitigate climate change by preventing carbon from being released into the atmosphere. And by protecting at a landscape scale, we can prevent fragmentation and achieve resilience at the ecosystem level, providing nature the best chance to respond to climate shock.
People like you can help permanently protect nature.
Landowners who are passionate about preserving biodiversity can work with us to protect native habitat through a conservation covenant – a voluntary, legal agreement made with landholders that permanently protects the natural or cultural values of the land.
Anyone can be a covenantor, from families, individuals and retirees with a bush block, to visionary farmers. Or, you can purchase a property with a unique conservation value, which has already been permanently protected.


Our Misson
To work with Victorians to protect nature on private land forever.
Our Vision
A future in which Victoria’s nature is valued, protected and thriving.
117,000+
Hectares of private land protected in Victoria.
1600+
Private properties protected with conservation covenants
62%
of land in Victoria is privately owned
40+
Nature reserves owned by Trust For Nature.
Trust For Nature aims for:
100,000+
hectares of additional private land to be protected by 2030
Our Priorities
Strategic Conservation in Victoria
Our work is guided by our Statewide Conservation Plan, which provides a scientific framework to inform conservation on private land across Victoria.
We aim to protect an additional 100,000 hectares of habitat on private land by 2030.
Working with First Peoples
At the heart of our work lies a commitment to meaningful engagement and respect for First Peoples’ knowledge and perspectives when caring for Country.
Our approach is guided by principles of cultural sensitivity, reciprocity, and mutual respect.

Climate Change Action
Climate change poses a fundamental long-term threat to biodiversity.
Protecting habitat from destructive activities helps mitigate climate change by preventing carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

Threatened Species
In Victoria, nearly 2,000 species are threatened with extinction. 50 species of animals and plants have already disappeared from the state forever.
Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent more species from becoming extinct.

Global Conservation Targets
Protecting habitat on private land is vital for meeting state, national and global conservation targets and halting the decline of our environment worldwide.
Trust for Nature is contributing to efforts to achieve targets of protecting 30% of Australia’s land, sea and waterways by 2030.

Restoration
Restoration of the land by planting native trees and shrubs not only improves the health of our ecosystems, it plays a vital role in mitigating the impact of climate change by storing carbon.
We are working with partners to restore native vegetation across the state and achieve landscape-scale change.
Reserves
Threatened Species Protected
Priority Landscapes
Wetlands protected
Victoria is a special place...
forged by nature, shaped over generations where peace and beauty rub shoulders with a history and a warm welcome. Our goal is to protect it.
Landholders encouraged to support efforts to protect important habitat along the Birrarung/Yarra
March 18, 2025Saving Victoria’s grasslands and the Plains-Wanderer
March 4, 2025Grassland conservation partnership recognised in 36th Banksia National Sustainability Awards
1500+ landholders across Victoria have made an incredible gesture to nature by ensuring the native habitat on their property is protected forever.