Trust for Nature is one of Australia’s oldest conservation organisations, and works closely with private landholders, government, organisations, Traditional Owners and businesses to help restore, protect and manage biodiversity on private land.

With staff and offices across Victoria, Trust for Nature uses a variety of methods to achieve its conservation goals, including a conservation covenant – a voluntary, legal agreement made between a private landholder and Trust for Nature that protects the land forever. Trust for Nature also owns more than 40 conservation properties across Victoria.

A conservation covenant is the first step in a long-term program of supporting a landowners’ efforts to manage their land for conservation.

The Covenant Stewardship Program is a commitment by the Trust to achieve this, with the aim to work collaboratively with landholders to maintain and/or enhance conservation values on their property through prevention and control of threats to the biodiversity.

Through the Stewardship Program, Trust for Nature provides the following services to support covenant landholders:

• Education: enabling landholders to improve their knowledge through field days, information sheets, flora and fauna survey programs, on- land visits and consultative assistance.
• Technical advice: Trust for Nature sources and provides technical advice to ensure landholders have access to the most appropriate and up-to-date land conservation methodologies
• Practical assistance: Covenanted properties receive a site specific Management Plan. Trust for Nature also aims to provide conservation support and source assistance for landholders with management activities such as pest and weed control.
• Monitoring: Trust for Nature aims to undertake regular monitoring of covenanted properties to ensure that the condition of the land is being maintained or improved. This process allows for adaptive management and compliance monitoring over the long-term.
• Financial assistance: Trust for Nature continues to work towards achieving financial assistance to better support covenant landholders. This aid may come in the form of increased staff assistance, facilitation of and/or access to incentive grants, rate concession, and advocating for tax incentives at a government policy level.

Review of the Covenant Stewardship Program and recommendations for improvement, actions and resourcing, in anticipation of future demand and increased climate risk. Key focus areas for the review include:

• The over-arching definition, objectives and scope of the Program
• An integrated whole of program and service delivery approach
• Landowner and community engagement and support
• Partner and stakeholder engagement
• Enabling Indigenous cultural practice and land management, in addition to and collaboration with science based approaches
• Technical land management advice including management plans
• Achieving and measuring conservation gains
• Development opportunities and partnerships
• Statutory functions
• Program resourcing – people and funding

Send your proposal, inclusive of methodology, project team, scheduling and fees, to:

Andrew Foran, Chief Operating Officer, Trust for Nature
andrewf@tfn.org.au | Phone: (03) 8631 5888