Trust for Nature (Victoria)

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  • What we do
    • Conservation covenants
    • Working with Aboriginal Victorians
    • Climate change
    • Protecting threatened species
    • Neds Corner Station
    • Conservation reserves
    • Current projects
  • Ways to give
    • Help Protect What Remains
    • 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
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  • What we do
    • Conservation covenants
    • Working with Aboriginal Victorians
    • Climate change
    • Protecting threatened species
    • Neds Corner Station
    • Conservation reserves
    • Current projects
  • Ways to give
    • Help Protect What Remains
    • 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 is a conservation covenant?

A conservation covenant is a voluntary, permanent, legally-binding agreement placed on a property’s title to ensure native vegetation is protected forever. When you put agree to put a covenant on your land, it restricts certain activities that might damage native habitat, including land clearing, planting non-native plants, grazing and collecting wood.

That's how covenants are helping to safeguard Victoria's threatened species such as Plains-wanderers, Helmeted Honeyeaters and Squirrel Gliders. The covenant remains in place even if you sell the property, protecting habitat on the land literally forever.

Every covenant adds to the area of habitat protected for Victoria's wildlife. It's a bit like creating new national parks—except on private land.

Since 1972, we've worked with landholders to register more than 1,567 conservation covenants since 1972—protecting 72, 905 ha of habitat for wildlife.

Find answers to frequently asked questions

Landholders with covenants are making a commitment to manage their property to make sure it provides excellent habitat. They continue to own the land and be responsible for its management.

Trust for Nature works with landholders to provide ongoing support through our Stewardship Program.

We’ll work with you to develop a specific management plan for your property that will help you decide what you need to do to maintain or improve it for wildlife.

This might include weeding, fencing or controlling introduced animals such as rabbits, deer or foxes.

Putting a conservation covenant on your land is free—Trust for Nature covers the costs of the covenant. You can help support this work by making a donation. Where available, we also let landholders know about financial assistance they might be eligible for. For instance, some local councils provide rate discounts on covenanted properties.

Read about the experiences of covenantors
Find resources for landholders
  • I'm interested, what now?

I'm interested, what now?

If you’d like to speak to someone about putting a covenant on your land, speak to one of our staff members in your region.

You can also contact Trust for Nature’s Melbourne office on (03) 8631 5888 or trustfornature@tfn.org.au or send us a message through the form below.

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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.

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

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