PROTECTING LAND FOR GOOD
BioDiversity Legacy was founded with a singular vision: to help landholders, communities, conservation organisations, donors and others protect land for nature and create an enduring environmental legacy for future generations.
Our pioneering land protection pathways bridge the gap between the desire to protect land and securing it permanently.
Established in 2022, BioDiversity Legacy (BDL) is an independent not-for-profit helping protect ecologically significant land for future generations. We work with individuals, families, communities, environmental organisations, local governments and others who want to ensure the places they value remain protected beyond their lifetimes.
Our protection pathways include a pioneering Local Landholding Entity model, which enables land to be transferred to safe, trusted not-for-profit organisations. This removes it from the private property market and protects it from future sale or development through secure, community-led ownership and strong legal safeguards.
Ownership is separated from day-to-day stewardship, supporting expert environmental care and flexible arrangements. Landholders and their families can remain on the land if they choose.
How we work
BDL operates across all Australian states and territories, and across all land tenures. We provide clear information and practical, tailored legal and governance frameworks that enable landholders and communities to protect land for good. BioDiversity Legacy’s three core land conservation pathways are:
1. Referrals
In many cases, the landholder or donor’s wishes can be better met through engagement with existing pathways – for example, Bush Heritage or covenanting bodies such as Trust for Nature.
2. Transfer to Local Landholding Entity (LLE)
LLE’s are not-for-profit organisations that hold the land title as the legal, permanent landholder. They are locally governed: decisions are made by people who know the place. The LLE appoints a separate stewardship group to manage the land.
3. Transfer to BioDiversity Legacy
Land can be transferred to BDL as a bequest (e.g. gift in Will).
We work with
- private landholders and families
- community groups and trusts
- philanthropic and impact investors
- government agencies
- regional authorities
- conservation organisations
Whether it’s 3 acres or 3,000, we work with anyone with a genuine interest in long-term conservation and seek to find the best solution for you, your family/network and the environment.
A shared responsibility for nature
A 2024 Biodiversity Council report found that 95% of Australians believe governments have a duty of care to protect nature for future generations.
However, with more than 60% of land privately owned or managed, governments cannot achieve this alone. Crucially, around 90% of threatened species occur on private land, making private land stewardship essential to long-term biodiversity protection.
BioDiversity Legacy exists to turn this shared responsibility into practical, lasting action—ensuring that the land people care about today remains protected tomorrow, and far into the future.
If, as Australians, we wish to maintain connectivity of habitat so species can move across the landscape, we must protect small but important tracts of bushland. We don’t need to own the land; it becomes a pathway where the community bands together to campaign and raise funds to protect the places they love. We are calling on people who are in a position to make financial contributions to the protection of biodiversity for future generations.
Latest blog posts
Community marks World Saltmarsh Day on protected Bullock Island
To mark World Saltmarsh Day on 11 June, around 35 community members, environmental partners, scientists, donors, volunteers, local media, photographers and nature lovers visited Bullock Island — one of two Corner Inlet islands now protected forever by Nooramunga Land & Sea.
How Connecting Wildlife is Helping the South Coast Protect Land for Good
In May 2026, communities on the South Coast of NSW came together to learn about – and celebrate – the launch of Connecting Wildlife, a Local Landholding Entity governed by a regional board committed to protecting habitat across the South Coast.
When Computer Science Meets Conservation
As BioDiversity Legacy expands its work across Australia, building organisational infrastructure is becoming increasingly important. So, when an opportunity arose to collaborate with Worcester Polytechnic Institute students on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, we jumped at it.