Nature conservation is not just something that governments do through creation of national parks and reserves; private landowners can also help. Many landowners wish to see wildlife protected on their property, whether they own a large farm or small patch of bush on the edge of town.
They see owning property as a privileged opportunity to care for their environment.
Around Australia, various community schemes support these landowners, including:
Land for Wildlife programs that provide guidance and resources to help landowners maintain havens for animals and plants.
Citizen science projects, which give people opportunities to contribute to wildlife research by helping to collect data on species living on their property.
Conservation covenants, which ensure the efforts of existing owners to conserve biodiversity are maintained by future owners. This can be done through a conservation covenant.
They see owning property as a privileged opportunity to care for their environment.”
What is a conservation covenant?
Since the 1970s, all Australian states have introduced laws that allow private landowners to voluntarily put a conservation covenant on their land. They are created by a legal agreement between the landowner and a state government or authorised independent body, whereby land use restrictions are negotiated to safeguard biodiversity.
Land use restrictions are negotiated to safeguard biodiversity.”
These restrictions might prohibit land clearing, grazing livestock, constructing roads, or anything else the parties decide is appropriate. In turn, these landowners may receive financial compensation along with professional assistance to help them better manage their properties to support wildlife.
Conservation covenants around Australia
Conservation covenants have become increasingly popular in recent years, and currently nearly 7 million hectares of land in Australia are protected by covenants.
Victoria has Australia's most covenants, with about 1,700 properties, whilst Queensland has the largest area covenanted, with 4.9 million hectares under its "nature refuges" scheme.
The Nature Repair Act 2023
Although the Commonwealth government isn't typically involved in conservation covenants, it has recently passed a new law, the Nature Repair Act 2023, which should encourage more landowners to participate in private land conservation.
The Act offers opportunities for landowners to receive financial incentives who wish to restore biodiversity on their property. Landholders with covenants are expected to be able to participate in the market, with the details on how still to be developed.
To further complicate matters recent amendments to the Act in December 2025 have opened the possibility for the Act to include offsets. The use of biodiversity offsets to fund restoration can be controversial.
Australia is second only to the United States in the number and extent of covenants.”
Conservation covenants around the world
Many other countries have conservation covenants, including Canada, Chile, England, South Africa and the United States, to meet the growing needs of conservationist landowners. Australia is second only to the United States in the number and extent of covenants.
We have had the pleasure of being personally involved in covenants. Benjamin Richardson bought some forest in southern Tasmania in 2015, rich with wildlife such as Tasmanian devils and quolls, and he has helped secure their future by covenanting their habitat.
Sarah Brugler previously worked as a lawyer for Victoria's Trust for Nature, the body responsible for covenants in that state.
Both are currently working with others in a project funded by the Australian Research Council to study how conservation covenants can continue to help more landowners protect biodiversity on their land.
Conservation covenants offer a powerful way for private landowners to make a lasting contribution to biodiversity protection — ensuring that the natural values of their land endure for generations to come.