Trust for Nature (Victoria)

East Gippsland

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Protecting East Gippsland after the fires

Trust for Nature is working with landholders in East Gippsland to support recovery from the 2019-20 bushfires and increase ecological resilience in the landscape.

After the devastation of the fires, it is more important than ever to make sure wildlife have safe places to live.

One part of the project will focus on protecting habitat which can serve as refuges for wildlife. This will be achieve by placing a conservation covenant on the property and/or through fencing. Incentives of up to $1,000 per ha are available for landholders.

The other part of the project will focus on improving habitat for wildlife through deer, fox and weed control and revegetation.

This Program has been supported by the Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery Program for Wildlife and their Habitat.

If you are a landholder in East Gippsland who is interested in receiving assistance, please contact Catherine Crowden, Conservation Officer, 0439 999 026 , catherinec@tfn.org.au.

Once funds have been expended this offer will no longer be available to landholders. Projects must be completed by April 2022.

The fires really reaffirmed the importance of looking after what we have. The covenant is a wonderful opportunity to protect what’s left of an old forest. We encourage more people to take out a covenant to protect more wonderful places.

Virginia, East Gippsland landholder who protected 146 ha of their 208 ha property.

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Pimelea conservation trust

Our Pimelea Conservation Trust Fund supports landowners and property managers who have Spiny Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens) present on their land and wish to conserve this highly threatened plant species. Funding is available annually by application for activities that are directly related to the objectives of the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Plan.

The Fund was established in 2005 as part of a Conservation Agreement with Multiplex Developments in relation to the protection and conservation of Spiny Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens), under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A Trust Committee has been established, with representatives from Federal, State and Local governments to administer the funds in accordance with the Conservation Agreement, with Trust for Nature acting as trustee for the fund. The Conservation Agreement outlines an annual program of funds to be allocated by the Trust Committee for Pimelea Recovery Activities. Generally, the total amount available each year is $12,000. However, this amount may vary should the Trust Committee assign more funds to an annual allocation or allocate future funding to multi-year projects.

Download the Pimelea Recovery Plan

Apply for funding

Grant applications open 7th June

Applications for funds to support activities to conserve Pimelea are open from 7th June and close 27th August.

All applicants will be reviewed and recommended by the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team.

Successful applicants will be selected from the Recovery Team’s recommendations PCTF Committee in November.

A project’s time frame will be dependent on the project, and all applicants will be informed of the outcome in December via email. Successful applicant(s) will receive a formal letter in the post.

Download the application form

Impact of the Fund since 2005

Each year, the Fund supports the management of two reserves which contain Spiny Rice-flower: Altona Nature Conservation Reserve and Pimelea Nature Conservation Reserve.

Since 2005 the Fund has supported both regional and Melbourne metropolitan environmental groups, the Country Fire Authority, consultants, Melbourne’s Royal Botanical Gardens, and private landowners in:

  • An examination of the species genetic diversity and population structure by the Royal Botanical Gardens, helping to set conservation activities for the species and ensure Spiny Rice-flower’s long-term survival;
  • Development of a new Spiny Rice-flower Recovery Plan;
  • The employment of a Pimelea Conservation Officer to support both the Pimelea Conservation Trust Fund and Pimelea spinescens Recovery team;
  • An assessment of all the Spiny Rice-flower translocations that have been carried out to date, providing analysis of ways to improve future translocation activities (see Resources below);
  • The development of a Spiny Rice-flower monitoring protocol endorsed by the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team;
  • Research, asking if supplementary planting will improve the recruitment capacity of populations;
  • Four local community education days about the species, its environment and optimal management;
  • Optimal management in the form of an ecological burn and monitoring at nine different Pimelea spinescens sites;
  • Stock/rabbit proof fencing installed at four sites;
  • Weed control at five sites over a period of five years;
  • Vermin eradication at two sites;
  • The production of the Pimelea and Her Grassland Friends children’s book (see Resources below).
  • Seed collection has occurred from eight sites that are not currently represented in the Pimelea spinescens seed bank.
  • Supplementation has occurred at  four Brimbank Council sites that have small and isolated P. spinescens populations.
  • A direct seeding project has just been implemented to learn what is the best method to germinate P. spinescens from seed in the field.
  • A research project that is tracking the gender presentation of individuals during a flowering season and then accessing the female’s and hermaphrodite’s seed quality.

Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team

In 2007, a Pimelea spinescens working group was formalised as the Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team. The Pimelea spinescens Recovery Team is a group working towards better conservation and management strategies for Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens and Pimelea spinescens subsp. pubiflora.

The Recovery Team coordinates the implementation of the Recovery Plan via:

  • Openly sharing information regarding our experiences with this species;
  • Regularly reviewing and updating protocols/guidelines for the species conservation;
  • Review funding applications and recommend to the PCTF Committee;
  • Review past and present conservation management methods, to be critiqued and recommendations made;
  • Encourage research and regularly provide technical advice around processes that would impact Pimelea spinescens;
  • Review and advise all publications, translocation plans and reports regarding Pimelea spinescens, which will inform future practice.

The current Recovery Team comprises of representatives from Trust for Nature, state government (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Parks Victoria and VicRoads), 22 local governments, six Catchment Management Authorities, Country Fire Authority, environmental consultants, Landcare groups, and universities.

Meetings

Meetings occur three times a year, at various locations in Western Melbourne or regional centres. The formal meeting is held in the morning and after lunch attendees visit several local Pimelea spinescens sites. Meetings are open for any Pimelea spinescens manager or community member to attend and/or raise an issue concerning this species. The meetings usually occur in March, July and November. If you’re interested in attending the next meeting, contact Trust for Nature’s Pimelea Conservation Officer.

Guidelines and protocols

The Recovery team have several endorsed documents available which have been developed to guide the management of this species to achieve best practice, available in the Guidelines and Resources below. These documents are constantly evolving to incorporate the most up to date research and on ground observations.

Contact the Pimelea Conservation Officer

Resources

Guidelines

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Assistance to control foxes, weeds and fence

Trust for Nature is working with landowners in East Gippsland to protect threatened species like the Southern Brown Bandicoot and the Long-nosed Potoroo from fox predation and to improve habitat through weed control and fencing.

Small mammals were once common across East Gippsland but are now rarely spotted due to predation by foxes and degradation of their habitat caused by clearing, pest plants and animals and uncontrolled stock access.

A new Trust initiative called Conservation Management of Private Land – Eastern Forests is helping landowners improve habitat through on ground works.

The Trust’s Area Manager for Gippsland Robyn Edwards said, “The focus of the project is on existing properties that have conservation covenants and the private land surrounding these sites or that are adjacent to public land, as well as properties that form links that create landscape connectivity.

“Financial assistance is available to assist landowners within the project area with fox and weed control and fencing.”

The project area is from east of Lakes Entrance through to Mallacoota.

Nearly three quarters of the main native plant communities identified in eastern Victoria are considered depleted, vulnerable, rare or endangered.

Conservation Management of Private Land – Eastern Forests aims to improve conservation outcomes for these communities across at least 4,000 ha of private land over the next three years.

Trust for Nature is a not-for-profit organisation that was founded in 1972 to protect native plants and wildlife for future generations of Victorians by conserving habitat on private land.

The Conservation Management of Private Land – Eastern Forests has been funded by the Victorian Government’s Biodiversity Response Planning program and is helping to ensure that Victoria’s natural environment is healthy, valued and actively cared for.

For more information about the project contact Trust for Nature’s Bairnsdale office on 0447 764 669, paulh@tfn.org.au.

Conservation Management of Private Lands – Eastern Forests project aims to protect small mammals like the Sugar Glider, pictured, from fox predation. Photo courtesy Peter Murrell.

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Council rebates for covenantors

Do you know that around one third of the 48 regional and rural councils in Victoria offer some form of rate rebate or concession to covenantors? Councils take differing approaches to this issue so it is worthwhile knowing the approach of your local council.

These rebates can make a difference to landowners’ ability to take care of their land as they recognise the cost it takes to steward land.

To find out if your council offers a rate rebate, you can use this interactive map produced by Land Covenantors Victoria.

For example, the City of Greater Bendigo and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council offer a full rate rebate to ‘acknowledge and  reward conservation efforts of private landholders’. The Pyrenees Shire Council offers a 50 per cent rebate, while others such as the Cardinia Shire Council, Mansfield Shire Council and the Greater Shepparton City Council offer a per hectare rebate (between $20-$50 up to a specified capped amount). The City of Greater Geelong calculates  covenanted land at the lowest ‘farm rate’ (37% deduction).

Native habitat on private land in Victoria continues to be lost but the extinction trend can be reversed by protecting key remnants, building ecosystem resilience and increasing connectivity of habitat. The protection offered by  conservation covenants make a vital contribution to this process and rates concessions or exemptions are recognition of this contribution by generous landowners.

If you would like to know more about rates rebates or concessions in your shire, check your council website or  contact our Policy Advisor Cecilia Riebl (Monday to Wednesday) on (03) 8631 5819 or ceciliar@tfn.org.au.

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Protecting and recording the Bush Stone-curlew

Bush Stone-curlews, or Bush Thick-knees, were once widely distributed in Victoria. Sadly, they have suffered a significant decline and it is estimated there are fewer than 300 breeding pairs left on the Northern Victorian Plains. One of the main problems affecting this ground-dwelling bird is that their chances of breeding successfully are very low. Curlew eggs and young are particularly vulnerable to predation by foxes and cats. Trust for Nature has developed predator-free areas in the Goulburn Broken Catchment suitable for release of captive-bred curlews. Two 10 hectare areas of woodland have been fox and cat-proofed and vegetation is being managed to provide high-quality nesting, day-roost and feeding areas. The sites are on private land where landholders have an interest in supporting curlew conservation and managing woodland habitat.

“Managing this species in the wild is hampered by a lack of accurate information about how many are left and where they live. ”

Managing this species in the wild is hampered by a lack of accurate information about how many are left and where they live. This is why Trust for Nature is conducting monitoring programs in collaboration with community groups. If you want to support the protection of Bush Stone-curlews in Victoria, please contact Bertram Lobert.

Trust for Nature has been working for a number of years on the protection and monitoring of Bush Stone-curlews in northern Victoria. Predator-proof fences have been installed in parts of the Koonda Hills district to provide safe nesting and year-round habitat for these ground-dwelling birds. Working with local landowners and community groups, we have been able to secure these sites but we are aware that much more needs to be done in order to protect this delightful creature for future generations. We conduct Bush Stone-curlew surveys in the Koonda Hills in collaboration with Sheep Pen Creek Land Management Group and the Gecko CLaN Landcare Network. This project is funded by the Victorian Government. By collecting detailed information from landholders through surveys and interviews – and following up with detailed site visits – we gain an accurate understanding of the curlew population’s size and distribution.

Progress so far

Two 10 hectare areas of woodland have been fox and cat-proofed and vegetation is being managed to provide high-quality nesting, day-roost and feeding areas for curlews. This has been achieved with funding from the Victorian Government and the collaboration of local landowners. Preliminary surveys indicate the breeding population of curlews in the Koonda Hills (200 square kilometres) is as low as two to five pairs.

Trust for Nature priority species covered:
Bush Stone-curlew (Burhinus grallarius)

Status: 
Endangered (Victoria), listed under the Fauna and Flora Guarantee Act

Region:
Goulburn Broken

Geographic area of project:
Koonda Hills, Goulburn Broken Catchment

Trust for Nature project contact:
Bertram Lobert
Conservation Officer, Goulburn Broken
bertl@tfn.org.au
0409 433 276

Latest project partners:

  • Sheep Pen Creek Land Management Group
  • Gecko CLaN Landcare Network
  • Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)