Meeting a critical need

Biodiversity Legacy (BDL) supporter and Ned’s Forest land donor, Julie Taylor-Mills, recently spoke to an audience of landholders, agency and government representatives at the Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT)’s ‘Protecting Nature, Forever’ event at the Parliament of NSW.

With partner Mark, Julie donated Ned’s Forest on the NSW South Coast to Biodiversity Legacy in 2023 and is a strong advocate for private land conservation and encouraging those with the means to do more to protect our landscapes. Julie called on the audience to support BCT’s vision for partnering with philanthropists to accelerate the expansion of the National Reserve System across NSW – a sentiment echoed by the Hon. Penny Sharpe MLC, Minister for the Environment, who said the nature crisis was too large for governments to tackle alone.

BDL’s National Contracts Manager and Southern NSW Biolink Coordinator, Dixie Fitzclarence, also attended the event. After joining BDL in 2024 as its first Southern NSW representative, Dixie is rapidly building connections with landholders across NSW and relationships with government agencies, not-for-profits and community groups supporting landholders in preserving ecologically significant landscapes.

“Biodiversity Legacy actively engages with organisations like Trust for Nature in Victoria and, via our association with the Ecolands Collective, we have strong ties to Land Covenantors Victoria, so it’s great to build an understanding of, and relationship with, BCT and its various stakeholder groups in NSW,” said Dixie.

Like Trust for Nature, BCT is the lead covenanting agency in NSW, offering landholders financial incentives, conservation agreements and management support to safeguard native habitats. Private land conservation is a collaborative effort, and in NSW, BDL is working with BCT and other organisations across the sector, like Landcare, Local Land Services and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to support landholders in achieving their land conservation vision.

“It was also lovely to hear from Julie, who is a powerful speaker, and to talk to attendees about the Biodiversity Legacy model and mechanism for safeguarding private properties in perpetuity. Through these partnerships, private land conservation continues to be a vital component of biodiversity protection in NSW and beyond.”