Ever wondered what the term “national park” actually means? In Australia, it refers to an area of land protected by the government to conserve our natural (and/or cultural) heritage, and promote biodiversity. Here in Sydney, we’re lucky enough to have easy access to some of the most spectacular protected outdoor spaces in the state; with the Royal National Park, the Blue Mountains and even areas of Sydney Harbour afforded national park status. But what’s less widely known is that your very own back garden (pending size, and a few other factors) could gain the very same kind of protection as national parks, the kind of protection that the natural environment of NSW needs to thrive. Intrigued? Read on.
In excellent news for the flora and fauna of NSW – and for sustainability-minded landowners looking to make some extra money – the government operates a biodiversity conservation scheme offering financial incentives for landowners who turn parts of their properties into protected land. The scheme (implemented in 2017 by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust) allows land to be placed under the same protections as national parks, with 2,368 private land conservation agreements currently protecting more than 2.3 million hectares across NSW.
According to the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, there are currently 932 plants, animals, algae and fungi that have been scientifically assessed as threatened, and 526 that fall into the 'endangered' or 'critically endangered' categories. To address this, more land within the state needs to be harnessed for conservation purposes, and landowners are stepping in to bridge the gap.
Currently, about nine per cent of NSW (seven million hectares) is protected land – including publicly protected areas, Indigenous protected areas (these make up 16,000 hectares) and private land. In order to increase the percentage of land (and therefore animals and plants) that are protected, the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust is encouraging landowners to join the trust – with different payment schemes and grants available to those who join.
The payments and agreements vary depending on location and other factors, but you could earn as much as $420 per hectare per year for preserving the environment that’s in your back yard. Currently, 1,177 of the 2,368 private land agreements made by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust are in-perpetuity private land conservation agreements, 411 are permanent offset agreements (offsetting the impact of development in NSW) and 780 are revocable private land conservation agreements. Depending on the nature of the agreement you enter into, if you sell your property, the protections (and payments to landowners) could remain – so you’re making a long-term move for the health of the land and the creatures and plants that call it home.
According to the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, more than 70 per cent of the biodiversity of NSW is located on private land, so the potential of landowners to move the needle towards a healthier ecosystem is enormous.
Interested? You can learn more over here.
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