A Victorian island is set to become the state’s first freehold island to be legally protected under covenant.

Flannagan Island, off Lakes Entrance, is 77 ha and is one of just a handful of islands that are privately owned in Victoria.

The island is part of the internationally significant Ramsar listed Gippsland Lakes, recognised for its environmental values.

The owner of Flannagan Island has volunteered to place a conservation covenant on the property, an agreement that is tied to title and will remain in place even when the island changes hands. They see this as a unique and special opportunity to leave a legacy for wildlife, habitat, and endangered species.

Trust for Nature’s Gippsland area manager Robyn Edwards said it’s commendable that the owner had the foresight to agree to put a covenant on the property ensuring it is looked after for future generations, joining more than 1,400 landholders across the state who have conservation covenants.

Robyn said, “This is an unusual covenant and it’s the first time we’ve placed one on an island. The landholder is making a significant contribution to the protection of waterbirds and migratory birds on the Gippsland Lakes.

“Flannagan Island is extremely important because it provides habitat for water birds and migratory shorebirds such as the nationally threatened Hooded Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit, the state threatened Royal Spoonbill, Eastern Great Egret and Little Egret.”

Much of the Island is covered with Swamp Scrub and Estuarine Wetland that are in good condition but the surrounding woodlands are degraded or cleared.

Past goat farming has impacted on the island’s plants, and vegetation is starting to recover now that they’re been removed.

Robyn said, “The removal of livestock has changed the trajectory of the island’s biodiversity, this is reflected in the regeneration of Swamp Paperbark and native tussock grasses.

“The degraded sections of the woodland have the potential to be restored, with the presence of mature Gippsland Red Gums and Southern Mahogany trees providing excellent foundations for potential revegetation works.”

The covenant will protect a range of threatened plant communities including Coast Banksia Woodland, Swamp Scrub, Damp Sands Herb-rich Woodland, and Estuarine Wetland/Saltmarsh.

This project is funded by the Victorian Government for the Gippsland Lakes. It enabled not only the permanent protection of the island but it also allowed for important weed control, providing an important start to habitat restoration in the cleared section of the Island.

Media contact

Kathy Cogo, Media and Communications Manager, Trust for Nature, 0466 015 183, kathyc@tfn.org.au.

Landholders in the Northern Plains of Victoria can now receive financial incentives for helping fight the extinction of the critically endangered Plains-wanderer bird.

Conservation organisation Trust for Nature, in partnership with the North Central Catchment Management Authority, is offering $1,000 per hectare to landholders who protect their grassland to provide suitable habitat for the native bird.

Because of habitat clearing and cultivation there are fewer than 1000 individuals of this unique species left in the wild.

Greg Rankin is the latest landholder to express interest in receiving the new incentive by applying to put a conservation covenant — a legally-binding agreement permanently protecting native vegetation — on 120 hectares of his property on the Patho Plains.

“The cash incentives are really great and show the value of what we have out here,” Greg said. “And the beauty of our covenant is that we can still selectively graze our land. There’s no negative effect for us.”

Trust for Nature Senior Conservation Officer Kirsten Hutchison said the opportunity to offer financial incentives to landholders for covenanting their land is a huge win in the urgent fight for the Plains-wanderer.

“Time is running out and conservation covenants are absolutely critical to the survival of this bird,” Kirsten said. “We still have cases of unauthorised grassland clearance on the Patho Plains even though it’s protected under state and federal legislation and there’s less than one percent of these grasslands left. It’s heartbreaking.

“To have a species that’s so globally significant in our own backyard that’s on the brink of extinction means we need to do something about it.

“Conservation covenants are the only way we can guarantee that nothing happens to this habitat in the future and to ensure the Plains-wanderer doesn’t become extinct.”

Under a conservation covenant, Trust for Nature works directly with landholders to sensitively manage their land. The northern plains grasslands in Victoria are one of the few areas in the state where selective grazing complements conservation.

“We always support them in their management of a covenant, which generally sits over just one paddock of land,” Kirsten said. “We don’t just tell them what to do.”

Greg agrees. “I am able to negotiate how we will manage it with Trust for Nature and I won’t lose the right to my land,” he said. “Some people are wary about that but you actually have a lot of autonomy.”

Conservation covenants, however, aren’t just beneficial for endangered species. In addition to the financial incentives, Kirsten said landholders take a lot of pride knowing they have Plains-wanderers on their property.

“People love being a part of this journey to help save a species,” Kirsten said. “When they realise they have a natural legacy on their property, they understand what a difference they can make.”

Greg said he feels proud to be leaving a legacy for the future. “It harks back to remembering what the land was like when you were a kid and wanting to give that to the next generation,” he said. “I’m proud to be helping out.”

This project is supported by the North Central Catchment Management Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Main photo courtesy Chris Tzaros

The Plains for Wanderers project is supported by the North Central Catchment Management Authority, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Putting a protective conservation covenant on a property is one of the most important things landholders can do to help Victoria’s plants and animals survive, thereby ensuring they are around for future generations to enjoy.

In 2018/19, 36 conservation covenants (covering 1,918 ha) were registered by Victorian landholders, bringing the total hectares protected by covenants to 66,827 ha.

Trust for Nature is one of Australia’s oldest conservation organisations, established by an Act of the Victorian Parliament in 1972 to protect habitat on private land.

It is a not-for-profit organisation that relies on the generosity of supporters to help protect Victoria’s biodiversity.

Andy and Judy McGillivray’s property will be open on September 13 as part of Trust for Nature’s Spring into Nature program.

It will be a great chance for visitors to tour a property that has excellent habitat for the Plains-wanderer. See events for more information.

Main photo courtesy Chris Tzaros.