Trust for Nature (Victoria)

Our mission is to protect and restore biodiversity on private land across Victoria

  • What we do
    • Conservation covenants
    • Working with Aboriginal Victorians
    • Climate change
    • Protecting threatened species
    • Neds Corner Station
    • Conservation reserves
    • Current projects
  • Ways to give
    • Nature is at stake
    • Bush Protection Program
    • Wills and bequests
    • Donate land
    • West Gippsland Fund
    • Volunteers
  • About us
    • Our board
    • Our people
    • Covenantors
    • Partners
    • News
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Contact us
  • Resources
    • All publications
    • Strategic Plan 2021-2025
    • Statewide Conservation Plan
    • Resources for landholders
    • Preparing for fire season
    • Resources for businesses
    • Victorian ecosystems
    • Sustainable Development Goals
  • What we do
    • Conservation covenants
    • Working with Aboriginal Victorians
    • Climate change
    • Protecting threatened species
    • Neds Corner Station
    • Conservation reserves
    • Current projects
  • Ways to give
    • Nature is at stake
    • Bush Protection Program
    • Wills and bequests
    • Donate land
    • West Gippsland Fund
    • Volunteers
  • About us
    • Our board
    • Our people
    • Covenantors
    • Partners
    • News
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Contact us
  • Resources
    • All publications
    • Strategic Plan 2021-2025
    • Statewide Conservation Plan
    • Resources for landholders
    • Preparing for fire season
    • Resources for businesses
    • Victorian ecosystems
    • Sustainable Development Goals
  • Make an enquiry
  • Properties for sale
  • Donate
  • What we do
    • Conservation covenants
    • Working with Aboriginal Victorians
    • Climate change
    • Protecting threatened species
    • Neds Corner Station
    • Conservation reserves
    • Current projects
  • Ways to give
    • Nature is at stake
    • Bush Protection Program
    • Wills and bequests
    • Donate land
    • West Gippsland Fund
    • Volunteers
  • About us
    • Our board
    • Our people
    • Covenantors
    • Partners
    • News
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Contact us
  • Resources
    • All publications
    • Strategic Plan 2021-2025
    • Statewide Conservation Plan
    • Resources for landholders
    • Preparing for fire season
    • Resources for businesses
    • Victorian ecosystems
    • Sustainable Development Goals

Patho Plains farmers safeguard unique grassland bird

Farmer Andy McGillivray on his property protecting habitat for critically endangered Plains-wanderers.

Critically endangered Plains-wanderers, one of the most unique birds in the world, has a brighter future thanks to farmers Andy and Judy McGillivray who have protected 239 ha of the birds’ grassland habitat on the Patho Plains in northern Victoria, on Yorta Yorta Country.

Plains-wanderers are ground-dwelling birds that are found only on grasslands in inland eastern Australia.

They are ranked number one in the world out of 9,983 bird species on the Zoological Society of Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered bird list. They have no close relatives anywhere in the world and are the sole member of an ancient avian family, the Pedionomidae.

The quail-sized bird has declined precipitously over the last decade, and there are fewer than a thousand left across the country.

Andy and Judy, who have already safeguarded 200 ha of Plains-wanderer habitat on two properties, said agreeing to protect another property was common sense.

“Ours is one of the best privately-owned parcels of land for this bird in the world,” Andy said.

“It’s a little bit of paradise for them, and I get a really nice feeling knowing that I’m protecting them. Protecting the land hasn’t changed the way I farm at all, so they’re a no brainer. Helping these important birds is not costing us anything.”

Andy and Judy have protected their land with conservation covenants through Trust for Nature. A conservation covenant is a voluntary, legally binding and permanent agreement that requires landholders to actively manage their land.

Watch Remember The Wild produced documentary, The Plains-wanderer

Trust for Nature Conservation Officer Kirsten Hutchison said farmers were key to ensuring the survival of Plains-wanderers.

“Over 90 per cent of the grasslands these birds depend on has been lost, and nearly all of their remaining habitat is found on private land.

“Farmers like Andy and Judy play a really important role in protecting and looking after these grasslands. Native grasslands are a form of pasture, and can benefit from carefully planned grazing, so farming and these endangered birds can coexist really well,” said Kirsten.

Working with local landholders, Trust for Nature has protected nearly 1,000 ha of habitat for Plains-wanderers since 2018. Plains-wanderers have been found breeding on Andy and Judy’s properties since 2010.

The Plains for Wanderers project is a partnership between Trust for Nature and the North Central Catchment Management Authority, supported through funding from the Australian Government.

The Victorian Government is supporting recovery of the Plains-wanderer through its Icon Species Program and the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action is working with Trust for Nature, North Central Catchment Management Authority, Parks Victoria, Zoos Victoria and the Northern Plains Conservation Management Network to support recovery efforts for the species across private and public land in northern Victoria.

Media contacts

James Whitmore, Communications Coordinator Manager, Trust for Nature, 0450 653 811, jamesw@tfn.org.au

More news

Back to all news

Want to stay in the loop?

Subscribe to our news updates

We acknowledge and respect Victorian Traditional Owners as the original custodians of Victoria’s land and waters. We pay respect to Elders past and present and to the continuing spiritual and cultural connection Aboriginal Victorians continue to have with Victoria’s diverse environments.

Our mission is to protect and restore biodiversity on private land across Victoria.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & conditions
  • Compliance
  • Properties for sale
  • Donate

+61 (0)3 8631 5888
Freecall 1800 999 933
trustfornature@tfn.org.au
5/379 Collins Street,
Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

© Copyright 2017 Trust for Nature (Victoria). ABN 60 292 993 543. Website designed and developed by Zib Digital.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.