For the BioDiversity Legacy team, this story is deeply meaningful. It carries the seeds of our very existence and the first green shoots of a pioneering land-conservation movement – one that has the potential to safeguard hundreds of thousands of acres in the decade ahead.
At its heart is a 105-hectare (259-acre) property – North Paddock – in Maffra West Upper, Central Gippsland – land that the Phillipson family has generously donated to BioDiversity Legacy for permanent protection and long-term stewardship.
This remarkable act of generosity – one of three donations planned by Jim, Heather, David and Kate Phillipson – was years in the making, involving thoughtful conversations about succession, care, responsibility and what it truly means to leave a living legacy.
The Backstory
Jim and Heather Phillipson grew up on farms around Sale in Central Gippsland. Jim went on to become a highly respected business leader and Heather a dedicated community nurse. Wanting their children, David and Kate, to experience the same grounding in nature, Jim and Heather purchased a 36-ha (90-acre) property on the Wirn wirndook Yeerung (Macalister River). They began restoring the old grazing paddock by replanting trees, nurturing remnant grasslands and riparian woodlands and protecting regionally significant plant species.
Along the way, Jim and Heather encountered passionate ecologists, conservation groups and land managers who helped shape their understanding of landscape stewardship. Over time, they came to realise that real impact comes from thinking beyond a single property: habitat must connect, landscapes must link, and communities must act together.
With that in mind, the family purchased three additional properties – covering approximately 358 ha (884 acres) from Maffra West Upper to the rugged foothills of the Victorian Alps. For decades, the properties were used as grazing stops for cattle herded up to the high country for summer grazing, a practice now restricted due to its environmental impacts.
The Phillipsons saw another future for this land.
Heather and Jim surveying the EcoGipps properties. Photo by Marnie Hawson.Wirn wirndook Yeerung (Macalister) River, adjacent to one of the EcoGipps’ properties. Photo by Marnie Hawson.Map showing EcoGipps properties within the wider landscape. North Paddock is circled in the photo second from bottom. Photo by Marnie Hawson.
Establishing the EcoGipps Venture
Driven by their growing vision, the Phillipsons created EcoGipps – a venture dedicated to managing their properties and developing an on-site conservation and learning hub. Today, EcoGipps supports school groups, international volunteer workers (WWOOFers), hikers, field naturalists and birdwatchers – offering a place to learn, contribute and connect.
Immersed in this work, the family gained deep insights into the challenges faced by landowners seeking to protect, restore and share their property/ies for conservation. They also saw their local efforts against the larger backdrop of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Engaging with groups such as Land for Wildlife and Trust for Nature, the family progressively placed conservation covenants on the properties. While everything was progressing well, one persistent question remained: “What happens to the land when we can no longer care for it?”
The Phillipsons soon discovered this question echoed across the private land conservation sector – many landholders had the will and passion to restore their properties, but no clear pathway for ensuring those efforts would endure.
Enter BioDiversity Legacy
BioDiversity Legacy was established to provide a solution to this very problem – by creating clear, practical pathways for landholders, communities, partners, and donors to ensure enduring protection and stewardship of land for future generations. This unique approach places land in secure, not-for-profit ownership structures, backed by strong legal and governance safeguards that remove it from the property market, protect it from future sale or development and ensure it is responsibly stewarded over the long-term.
In 2025, the Phillipsons donated North Paddock on Gunaikurnai Country, to BioDiversity Legacy. This was a moment that crystallised what the Phillipsons had been looking for: a trusted, long-term partner to carry their legacy forward.
The Significance of North Paddock: Biodiversity values
North Paddock’s ecological significance is considerable – meeting four objectives of the Trust for Nature Statewide Conservation Plan and rated as ‘Very High’ conservation value. Several habitat types have also been identified as depleted or endangered by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (EVC benchmarks).
Habitat includes lowland and herb-rich woodland forests, Swamp scrub, White and Red Stringybark and Blue/Red Box eucalypts and a rare tea-tree soak. Read more about the types of habitat found on the property, as well as rare plants, wildlife and birds (read more here).
More importantly, the property represents a key biolink within a vast core habitat area linking Coongalla Bushland Reserve with the Avon–Mt Hedrick Scenic Reserve and onward to the Victorian Alps.
Next Steps
With the transfer of North Paddock complete, the Phillipsons are now advancing plans to transfer their two additional properties, totalling 253 hectares, into BioDiversity Legacy’s safe ownership structure in the coming years.
BioDiversity Legacy is also working closely with the Phillipsons to further develop the EcoGipps venture into a stewardship entity that can take care of managing the properties into the future.
Heather Phillipson will continue leading restoration efforts at North Paddock, with Caroline Trevorrow joining as a dedicated Stewardship Coordinator to oversee the organisation’s activities. Thus, the initiative is creating local employment in conservation, as well as the education and community engagement opportunities that are at the core of the EcoGipps mission.
A Living Legacy for Future Generations
The transition of North Paddock into BioDiversity Legacy’s care marks a significant milestone for the private land conservation movement. It demonstrates a clear, practical pathway for landholders who want to permanently protect their land, ensure best-practice stewardship and contribute to something much bigger than themselves.
The Phillipson family’s vision – and their courage to act on it – has created a model that others can follow.
It reminds us that conservation is not only about restoring landscapes. It’s about restoring connection: to Country, to community and to the future. Their story shows what becomes possible when people choose to give back to the land that has given them so much. And it lights the way for others who wish to leave a living legacy for future generations.
BioDiversity Legacy (BDL) is engaging with a growing number of landholders on the Far South Coast of New South Wales who are interested in exploring how BDL’s land protection pathways can not only safeguard individual properties but help communities connect their landscapes and expand their conservation ambitions.
In October, BDL Communities & Stewardship Manager, Robyn Edwards, visited a remarkable 27-ha property adjoining Tilba Tilba Lake in the Gulaga/Eurobodalla region that has been lovingly restored over the past 45 years by members of the Tilba Lake Community (TLC).
The property, once cleared and degraded, has been transformed into a thriving haven for biodiversity, with over 200 bird species recorded, a healthy Diamond Python population, returning Long-nosed Bandicoots and nationally endangered species, including the Glossy Black-Cockatoo and Hooded Plover.
During the visit, Robyn joined Local Land Services NSW and TLC members Geoff Pryor, Noel Pratt, Dr Liz Dennis and her son, Dr Clancy Dennis, in a wide-ranging conversation about the property’s natural and cultural values, land transition pathways and the Biosphere Region proposal originally developed by the Tilba Environment Landcare Group as part of the Tilba Chamber of Commerce strategy review in the wake of the 2019–20 bushfires.
“A big part of our role at BioDiversity Legacy is guiding communities through a progression – from connection and learning to agency, active hope and, ultimately, positive, lasting conservation pathways,” says Robyn.
“It was inspiring to meet the landholders, learn about the Yuin people’s connection to Country and see how the Tilba property has been brought back to life. We’ll do what we can to support this group and the wider community to pursue their landscape vision.”
Photo right: Shareholders of the Tilba Lake Community Pty Ltd property enjoyed conversations with BioDiversity Legacy’s Robyn Edwards. Left to right: Noel and Geoff Pryor, Robyn Edwards, Liz Dennis and son Clancy.
In October, BioDiversity Legacy joined landholders, Traditional Owners, scientists, and conservation organisations from around the country at the 2025 Australian Land Conservation Alliance Conference, held in Gimuy (Cairns).
The conference theme – Scaling Up: Local Action for Global Solutions – echoed what drives our work at BioDiversity Legacy every day: empowering and facilitating landholders and communities to protect the land they love – from early steps in land stewardship to formal and lasting protection.
Shared purpose and momentum
The Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA) is the national peak body for organisations working in private land conservation, bringing together people who are actively restoring and safeguarding nature on privately managed land. This year’s event created a powerful space for sharing knowledge, building partnerships and exploring innovative models for long-term protection.
BioDiversity Legacy was proud to be announced as one of ALCA’s newest member organisations, alongside the National Landcare Network – a milestone that reflects our growing role in this national movement (see the full list of ALCA members here).
Contributing to the conversation
BioDiversity Legacy staff were delighted to play an active role in the Land Conservation Forum for Landholders on Tuesday, 7 October, with our Head of Conservation Engagement & Partnerships, Dixie Fitzclarence, co-presenting a session with Andrew and Angus Cleary from Nuggan Sanctuary, who shared their family’s inspiring conservation journey and their work to secure lasting protection for their land.
BioDiversity Legacy’s Far North Queensland Biolink Coordinator, Keith Smith (who is also involved in Queensland’s Private Protected Area Program), participated in the Ask an Expert session, offering insights into land management and conservation practices.
Inspired for what’s next
Says Dixie: “The week was filled with insight and connection. MC Sean Dooley kept spirits high and Peter Garrett’s closing remarks left the room energised for the road ahead. We left Cairns inspired and looking forward to reconnecting with everyone in Lutruwita/Tasmania next October for ALCA26 and in Naarm/Melbourne for the 2027 International Land Conservation Network Global Congress.”
BioDiversity Legacy’s bold vision for protecting vulnerable ecosystems at scale is being realised in South Gippsland, where Nooramunga Land & Sea (NL&S) has acquired its second saltmarsh island.
A safe haven for migratory birds, small mammals and lizards and vulnerable saltmarsh plant communities
Bullock Island joins neighbouring Little Dog Island as part of a growing legacy of land protected within the iconic Corner Inlet – a Ramsar-listed wetland of international significance.
Both islands were previously zoned for farming and recreational use, placing over 132-ha (330-acres) of valuable coastal saltmarsh at risk. In fact, the 60-hectare Little Dog Island was previously developed as a golf resort, which caused significant damage.
With funding from the Upotipotpon Foundation and support from Biodiversity Legacy, the NL&S team secured the island, with the stewardship team about to conduct surveys and monitoring to see what’s on the island and undertake habitat restoration and enhancement works to protect vulnerable species and help them thrive.
Land protection and stewardship team
The NL&S team consists of leading ecologists, environmental philanthropists, carbon landscape experts and researchers with deep roots in ecological restoration and land protection. They include:
Jim Phillipson, Strategic Director of the Rendere Environmental Trust, also provided support for the initiative, with volunteers, local landholders, Traditional Owners, citizen scientists and community partners also invited to collaborate on efforts to protect these landscapes, which are vital for biodiversity, carbon storage and climate resilience.
A Living Mosaic
Framed by Wilson’s Promontory to the south and South Gippsland’s green hills to the north, the 72-ha Bullock Island presents a rich tapestry of native grasses, salt-tolerant shrubs, Swamp Paperbark and colourful succulents, such as Beaded and Shrubby Glassworts, Pigface, Austral Seablite and Austral Brooklime.
Like many of the sandy islands in Corner Inlet, Bullock Island’s intertidal mudflats and waters support large areas of White Mangrove and Broad-leafed Seagrass; communities of limited distribution in Victoria.
Sanctuary for rare and migratory birds
Corner Inlet is a haven for birdlife, supporting an estimated 20% of Victoria’s entire wader population. Now linked by intertidal flats, Bullock and Little Dog islands offer crucial safe habitat for several threatened species, including:
Critically Endangered: Far Eastern Curlew, Great Knot, Curlew Sandpiper
Endangered: Lesser Sand Plover, Red Knot
Vulnerable: Hooded Plover, Australian Grayling, Swift Parrot
There is also quiet optimism that the islands may one day support the return of the Orange-bellied Parrot – one of Australia’s rarest birds. NL&S is working closely with BirdLife Australia and Zoos Victoria to monitor for the species’ presence and support its potential recovery.
Why these islands matter to us all
The value of these saltmarsh islands extends far beyond biodiversity. As part of the blue carbon ecosystem, their dense vegetation and deep, silty soils lock away carbon 30 to 50 times faster than terrestrial forests – keeping it stored for thousands of years.
They also provide:
storm surge protection for coastal towns
clean water by filtering nutrients and sediment
fish nurseries vital for local marine species and fisheries.
Protecting them means strengthening climate resilience, food systems and local economies.
A blueprint for community-led conservation
This project demonstrates what’s possible when innovative governance structures meet passion, purpose and place-based conservation.
The NL&S team anticipates further acquisitions to protect and restore connectivity between South Gippsland’s saltmarsh ecosystems as more landholders and philanthropists come on board.
Congratulations to BioDiversity Legacy South Gippsland Biolink Coordinator, Stuart Inchley, who has been selected to join an august list of conservation experts in the new Nature Media Centre, a joint project of the Biodiversity Council, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Australian Land Conservation Alliance.
The Nature Media Centre was recently established as a ‘non-partisan resource’ to give journalists access to conservation experts working in areas as diverse as regenerative farming, art and design, land management, ecology, urban planning, academia, citizen science, Indigenous knowledge and even ‘astrotourism’.
Many of these individuals do not have high media profiles yet are highly influential in their local communities and are doing amazing things on the ground. As such, they are well placed to provide insights into the challenges and complexities of environmental protection and management.
In his capacity as Biolink Coordinator, Stuart is connecting landholders – many of whom are working in isolation – across South Gippsland, strengthening communities willing to restore and protect habitat on private land.
With partner Victoria, Stuart also looks after a 300-acre covenant-protected property, Tarwin River Forest, in South Gippsland. The property, which is home to many rare and threatened species such as the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Pilotbird and Strzelecki Burrowing Crayfish, has a significant population of Critically Endangered Slender Tree-ferns in some magnificent cool temperate rainforest gullies.
Stuart and Victoria have first-hand experience of the personal and financial challenges of stewarding private property for conservation, including threats from forestry, climate change and feral animals. They regularly bring the community together for events on the property, where they share their experiences, their love of these landscapes, community-led solutions and active hope.
Stuart joins Diana Droog, secretary of Land Covenantors Victoria, in the Nature Media Centre as a trusted voice for private land conservation.
We look forward to what Stuart, Diana and others have to say in the coming months as they shine a light on Australia’s unfolding environmental crisis and help newsmakers tell compelling stories that educate and inspire action.
Connecting efforts to restore South Coast ecosystems
BioDiversity Legacy (BDL) continues to build networks and engage with conservation communities on the Far South Coast of NSW from Eden to Tathra, Bermagui to Moruya, and beyond. It may be one of the most beautiful regions in Australia, but the Far South Coast faces numerous threats to its biodiversity, from habitat loss to logging, agricultural activities, invasive species and bushfires.
In June, BDL’s Head of Conservation Engagement & Partnerships, Dixie Fitzclarence, and Community & Stewardship Manager, Robyn Edwards, headed to the small town of Towamba, near Bega, to meet the community and participate in a workshop aimed at helping them identify critically endangered Threatened Ecological Communities (TEC) within the River Flat Eucalypt Forest.
The event, coordinated by the Towamba Valley Landcare Group in association with the Far South Coast Conservation Management Network, involved presentations by Jackie Miles, a highly knowledgeable local botanist who explained the main diagnostic features of the TEC, South East Local Land Services Officer, and Annie Hobby, who provided an update on the status, range and distribution of this TEC and what communities can do to restore these ecosystems.
Dixie talked about BDL’s role supporting landholders, community groups, environmental organisations and others to protect the land they love for future generations. Robyn’s talk focused on BDL-supported work with Wildlife Unlimited to protect threatened species, including the Spot-tailed Quoll and Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby, as well as plans to extend this work to protect native species across a broad region, from Victoria to the South Coast.
“It was an inspiring day, connecting with landholders who are undertaking protection and restoration activities on their property or in the local landscape, and to share with the community the role BDL has to play in permanent protection through facilitating community ownership of significant biodiverse areas,” said Robyn.
The event was supported by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and the Saving Native Species Program delivered by South East Local Land Services, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.
Last chance effort to protect a fierce but fragile icon species
The Spot-tailed Quoll – also known as the Tiger Quoll – is one of Australia’s most extraordinary predators. Yet despite its ecological importance, this fierce, secretive marsupial is now listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Victoria’s Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
Once widespread across Victoria, the species has suffered a dramatic decline since European settlement. Hunting, habitat loss, and predation by feral animals have reduced Spot-tailed Quoll numbers by more than 50%. Today, the Upper Snowy River region in Gippsland is the species’ last stronghold in the state – but even here, the population continues to fall.
In 2024, that trajectory sparked action. A network of government and non-government organisations – including the Rendere Environmental Trust, First Nations communities, ecologists, geneticists and dedicated quoll champions – united to apply for a Victorian Government Nature Fund grant supporting a multi-agency recovery effort.
Auspiced and mentored by BioDiversity Legacy and led by Wildlife Unlimited, the Spot-tailed Quoll Recovery Program is now underway. Researchers are venturing deep into the rugged wilds of East Gippsland, gathering critical data on quoll numbers, movements and habitat needs. Their mission is clear: understand what is driving the decline, determine what it will take to halt it, and ultimately return quolls to the Country they once thrived on.
A key component of the program involves genetic assessments of both wild and captive individuals—work that will guide the development of a robust captive-breeding and translocation strategy in collaboration with Odonata’s Mt Rothwell team.
On the ground, Wildlife Unlimited field teams are trekking remote ridgelines and river valleys, deploying camera traps, studying behaviour and collecting genetic material to piece together the story of surviving quolls.
It’s painstaking work – but it’s infused with hope. Every footprint, every image, every genetic sample helps chart a path toward recovery for one of Australia’s most charismatic and imperilled species. Read more here.
The secretive quoll is investigating the hay nets used for luring the rare Rock-wallaby. Images with thanks to the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Change.
Landholders and nature lovers across South Gippsland Victoria are being encouraged to contribute to a biolink map being developed by the South Gippsland Landcare Network (SGLN) to give landholders and the broader community a bird’s eye view of the ‘patches, stepping stones and habitat links’ that need to be strengthened to create more effective wildlife corridors and protect native and threatened species.
The map is a key action of the SGLN’s 10-year Biodiversity Protection Plan developed in 2024 with cross-sector input, including from our Ecolands Collective colleagues, Prom Coast Ecolink, which sits under the umbrella of the SGLG, and the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group, which aims to connect remnant patches of native vegetation, initially across the Bass Coast and now extending eastwards to South Gippsland.
Conservation action across this vast 262,000 ha region, which stretches from the steep Strzelecki Ranges in the north to the lowland coast in the south, is becoming increasingly urgent as just 22% of South Gippsland’s native vegetation remains, and 10% of all native species are now threatened.
After securing funding for two key phases of the mapping project, SGLN appointed mapping experts who, as a first step, are gathering base data via a ‘Habitat Near You’ website that asks landholders and community members to identify habitat hotspots, sightings of key species and key areas of interest (this phase will run from May to June 2025, so please contribute if you can).
Biodiversity Legacy South Gippsland Biolink Coordinator, and local community member, Stuart Inchley, will contribute data about remnant patches of vegetation north of Foster and contribute in other ways.
It will take about nine months to gather the foundational data. From here, the team will use the General Approach to Planning Connectivity from Local Scales to Regional (GAPCLoSR) GIS method to analyse landscape conditions and determine the best possible pathways for recreating or enhancing habitat for 4-6 target species.
The whole process will take a community-led, tenure blind approach and consider all environments across the region, not just those where larger patches of bushland exist.
BioDiversity Legacy welcomes this biolinking initiative, which reflects our long connection to the region and our commitment to engaging property owners and communities in conversations about the need to secure land and connect it to adjacent properties and/or state and national parks.
The map will also provide a well-informed basis for regional planning processes and inspire more investment in the natural values of our landscape.
The following editorial, published by the International Land Conservation Network (ILCN) in March 2025, is by LCV president Peter Mulherin and Australian Land Conservation Alliance Permanent Protection Method Project Manager, Cecilia Riebl, who also acts as Australia’s ILCN Regional Representative
BioDiversity Legacy (BDL) is proud to maintain strong ties with Land Covenantors Victoria (LCV), an organisation energising the private land conservation movement across Victoria and bringing communities together to take meaningful action.
Established in 2021 with support from the Rendere Environmental Trust, EcoLands Collective and Trust for Nature, LCV is the first formal network to unite landholders who have adopted conservation covenants and other on-title agreements to protect biodiversity on their properties.
“We are living in a time of great challenge, with biodiversity loss, global warming, political instability and the relentless advance of extractive industries compounding these threats,” said LCV President Peter Mulherin.
“It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. However, by empowering private landowners to take meaningful action within their own communities, we can restore a sense of control and optimism.”
LCV members play an active role in advocating for policy reform. Their efforts include successfully securing automatic land-tax exemptions for landholders with Trust for Nature covenants—an important recognition of the public environmental value these protected areas provide.
More broadly, LCV brings together people and organisations with diverse levels of experience and expertise to exchange ideas, share success stories and support peer-based learning.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of this work is being part of a local network of landholders—feeling connected to a community of like-minded individuals making tangible changes to benefit local biodiversity and future generations,” Peter said.
LCV hosts field days and events on properties across the state. In one recent event in Gippsland, Landcare representatives, Trust for Nature, philanthropists, farmers and local politicians gathered in a town hall to hear case studies showcasing conservation initiatives led primarily by volunteers and local landholders. The photo above shows participants at LCV’s first field day, held at Wirra-lo, a 180-hectare private property in Murrabit.
Peter also acknowledges the challenges these organisations face in caring for nature on behalf of the broader community. “Their work provides immense social and environmental benefits, with no financial reward but enduring value for their communities,” he said.
By fostering collaboration and raising awareness about the importance of conservation covenants, LCV is making real progress toward its long-term vision: a future in which private land conservation is the norm, not the exception.
A biodiversity legacy for Victoria’s southeast coast
The Nature Recovery Foundation (NRF) is a bold initiative committed to reversing biodiversity decline on Victoria’s Bass Coast and protecting the natural environment for future generations. The NRF is a partnership between Bass Coast Shire and BioDiversity Legacy, with each organisation having two directors on the board.
The Foundation’s initial focus is on tracts of land within the Bass Coast Shire, where existing habitats will be protected and larger-scale landscape restoration will be pursued. As the Foundation grows, there may be opportunities to expand our impact beyond this region, most likely into South Gippsland.
The NRF is currently working towards Deductible Gift Recipient status, which will strengthen the Foundation’s legitimacy and open opportunities for tax-deductible donations, further supporting our long-term goals.
The Foundation’s Mission
To achieve lasting environmental restoration, the NRF will:
Protect priority areas of remnant biodiversity.
Secure and restore land with high ecological potential.
Create viable habitat refuges connected through biolinks.
Leverage partnerships and green investment for long-term sustainability.
Build a lasting legacy for future generations.
Next steps
This is an exciting step for BioDiversity Legacy, as several members of the team live in the adjacent shire of South Gippsland and, as a group, we have deep links to other environmental non-profits via our connection to the Ecolands Collective.
An ecological survey of rainforest communities on three Trust for Nature properties north of Foster in South Gippsland, as well as an adjacent state-run reserve, has found the largest population of Slender Tree-ferns ever documented in Australia, as well as rare and endangered species, including the Netted Brake fern, Butterfly Orchid, over 100 indigenous plants and 40 mosses.
The survey, initiated by the Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group (GTSAG) and Tarwin River Forest Land Stewards, Victoria Johnson and Stuart Inchley (BioDiversity Legacy South Gippsland biolink coordinator), was conducted by two of Victoria’s most experienced ecologists and botanists, Karl Just and Dylan Osler, with funding from the Wettenhall Environmental Trust and Friends of Turtons Creek.
An engaged community
The results of the survey were presented to an audience of over 80 people at the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre, including senior members of the Shire Council, business leaders, ecologists, botanists and residents. The presentation was also recorded (see above). Karl and Dylan talked about the importance of private land in biodiversity conservation, as many areas remain under-surveyed, compared to public lands.
“Dylan and I have both been working in ecology for over 20 years,” explained Karl.
“We get to wander around Victoria studying different ecosystems … but this [project] was quite a treat for us to do because we rarely gain access to private properties … which have an important role to play in maintaining regional biodiversity.”
Diversity is strength
The team spent more than a week exploring two distinct areas – the Turtons Creek Scenic Reserve (managed by Parks Victoria) and three adjacent Trust for Nature properties.
Walking 10 km over tough terrain, including steep, wet rainforest gullies, Karl and Dylan looked for and mapped rainforest boundaries, threatened species and created a list of observed flora.
Given the high rainfall in the area, ferns grow aplenty, but it was the diversity of the fern population that surprised them.
“You almost get these mini-ecosystems, with lots of different fern species growing on trees and branches – trees on trees. It’s kind of magical,” said Karl.
Geological features of the study area, including the presence of fault lines and unique sedimentary layers, contribute to the diverse ecosystems within the rainforest.
Understanding these geological factors is essential for effective conservation planning, said Karl, as they influence vegetation patterns and habitat characteristics. He also noted how Cool Temperate Rainforest is highly sensitive to fire, with historical data indicating that it takes over 400 years for these ecosystems to recover. This long recovery period necessitates proactive fire management strategies to prevent devastating impacts on these vulnerable environments.
The survey also acknowledged the presence of invasive species such as blackberries, which can alter soil chemistry and microclimates, threatening the integrity of rainforest ecosystems. Additionally, evidence of deer populations was noted, which can contribute to vegetation degradation through browsing and trampling, necessitating ongoing management efforts.
To ensure the long-term health of Cool Temperature Rainforest, the survey recommends implementing protective buffers around rainforest areas, particularly near adjacent timber harvesting operations. Such buffers can mitigate risks from wind throw, herbicide drift, and invasive species, thereby supporting the resilience of these ecosystems.
The survey results underscore the beauty and importance of this landscape, while also raising awareness of the ongoing threats to its preservation.
How to ensure the family farm can continue to thrive and prosper for generations to come
BioDiversity Legacy Director and active land covenantor, Jim Phillipson, is a strong advocate for succession planning to ensure that landholders and families can stay connected to the land.
Jim was one of 40 speakers invited to present at the GROUNDED farming festival in Tasmania, where he provided practical tips and advice on succession planning for farming families – a critical yet challenging conversation.
Modelled on the UK’s Groundswell festival, GROUNDED was established by the renowned Australian chef turned farmer Matthew Evans and partner Sadie Chrestman. It is a unique platform created ‘by farmers, for farmers’ allowing them to share knowledge about regenerative farming practices, food systems, soil and much more. Over 6,000 people attended the event.
Heather and Jim Phillipson on their family farm in East Gippsland.
Approaching challenging conversations
Jim highlighted the fact that, while these conversations can be difficult, if neglected, they can jeopardise the future of the farm.
He emphasised a structured approach to these discussions, highlighting several key strategies, including the engagement of a neutral facilitator to guide discussions.
“This third party provides an objective perspective, helping to manage emotions and ensuring that decisions are made in the best interest of the farm,” said Jim.
“Their role includes communicating with title holders and formalising agreements, which can lead to more productive conversations.”
Jim advises starting initial discussions with a small group, specifically those listed on the property title. This approach minimises complications and allows for clearer decision-making.
“Once a foundational framework is established, broader family discussions can take place.”
Establishing a defined timeframe for succession planning is also crucial, said Jim, who recommends a seven-year window, broken down into three, five, and seven-year goals. This timeline encourages structured planning while preventing procrastination, making the process more manageable and focused.
A significant shift in mindset is also necessary when prioritising the farm over individual family members. By treating the farm as an independent entity, families can foster long-term viability and avoid the pitfalls of dividing the farm or selling it off. This perspective encourages discussions that focus on the farm’s future rather than individual interests.
Jim also urged the audience to consider alternatives to equal shares among children.
“Placing the farm into a protected legal entity can ensure its sustainability while providing income for retiring parents. This method can often yield better financial outcomes than traditional equal division,” he said.
Finally, he stressed the importance of acting while there is still control over decision-making. “Delaying the succession planning process can lead to a loss of influence over the farm’s future. By starting early and setting clear goals, families can create a succession plan that benefits both the farm and its family members.”
Since the mid-1970s, conservationists, planners and land managers have been directing their attention to the formation of regional biolinks as an intuitively appealing way of slowing the decline of biodiversity in Australia, a continent that has lost over 40% of its forests since colonisation – 70 to 80% in states like Victoria.
Also known as greenways, green belts, shelterbelts and wildlife corridors, the biolink concept resonates because it is easy to understand.
In his highly influential book, Linkages in the Landscape, La Trobe University conservation researcher, Andrew F Bennett, notes the appeal of biolinks as “a visible solution to a visible problem – habitat fragmentation is generally a strikingly-obvious process. Equally, habitat corridors are a visible sign of efforts to ‘mend’ the fragmented landscape (‘bandages for a wounded natural landscape’ – Soulé and Gilpin 1991).”
He also notes that the ability to establish biolinks at different scales gives local communities the feeling they can ‘do something about’ the damage in their local environment and see visible results.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water diagram showing landscape elements that contribute to wildlife corridors.
Gondwana Link project in south-western Australia.
Do biolinks actually work?
The rapid uptake of biolink projects around the world initially outpaced scientific understanding and data collection. Questions were raised about their effectiveness, particularly given the scarcity of conservation resources. Multiple studies were conducted looking at the key domains of:
Landscape connectivity – the physical connections between habitats across a landscape.
Habitat connectivity – connections between patches of habitat (‘stepping stones’) suitable for specific species.
Ecological connectivity – the function of ecosystems across space and time.
Evolutionary connectivity – allowing populations to interact naturally, breed and strengthen genetic diversity.
In 2010, the first meta-analysis was published. It showed that corridors increase migration between habitat patches by as much as 50%. Ten years later, a second analysis was done to solve questions raised in the first analysis. It found that, although not all corridors worked as planned, overall corridors effectively increase species movement, fitness and richness. This further translated into an increase in community biodiversity.
Macro (large scale) biolinks
Beginning in the early 2000s, up to a dozen large-scale biolinks were proposed or established in Australia, one of the earliest being the Gondwana Link project in south-western Australia. Conceived by a small group of conservationists in 2000, the program now coordinates dozens of separate conservation projects along a 1,000 km corridor from the forests of Margaret River to the semi-arid woodlands and Mallee country bordering the Nullarbor Plain.
In 2005, Greening Australia began shaping up its Habitat 141 project; a 50-year collective response to habitat fragmentation and climate change along the 141st longitude stretching from the coast of South Australia, along the Victorian border, and up to the rugged rangelands of New South Wales.
Noting the success of these and other projects and how they might be connected to the National Reserve System (a network of more than 10,000 Commonwealth, state and territory protected areas) in 2012, the Australian Government published a National Wildlife Corridors Plan. Information on that plan is now difficult to find online. The program appears to have been folded into one of the most ambitious initiatives of all – the Great Eastern Ranges biolink.
This impressive program seeks to conserve and manage a 3,600 km ‘continental lifeline’ of habitats, landscapes and people from the Grampians in western Victoria, along the Great Divide and Eastern Escarpment of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, to the wet tropics and remote Cape York Peninsula in Queensland’s far northeast.
Over 250 regional, state and national organisations have chosen to align their activities with the GER vision. Among them is the Biolinks Alliance, which performs a unique role as a capacity and partnership-building organisation consisting of 18 member Landcare networks working mostly in Central Victoria.
The missing link – community-based conservation
Australian National University researcher Carina Wyborn has been studying conservation connectivity since the early 2000s. Many of the themes she discusses in her publications discuss the challenges of collaboration.
“Without people working together, connectivity initiatives will go nowhere (Lovett et al. 2008), thus collaboration and community-based conservation are central.
“Centred in an ethic of place, community-based conservation is underpinned by the premise that local populations have a greater interest in and knowledge of local contexts … further, “by placing these local contributions within a larger picture (e.g large-scale programs), gives conservation on private land greater purpose.”
Paddock-scale connections
For decades, individual landholders have been working with organisations like Landcare to restore and protect pockets of habitat on private land. This work is critical, given that over 60% of all land in Australia is privately owned or managed (farms, pastoral leases and mines) and that 70% to 90% of inadequately protected wildlife is found on private land.
However, it has sometimes been difficult to see these activities within a broader vision.
Given their commitments to sustainability and better environmental management, many councils are stepping up to fill critical gaps, offering incentives to landholders and practical tools such as maps. A great example of this is Cardina Shire Council’s interactive map, which shows what has been done and what opportunities there are for improvement.
BioDiversity Legacy is also working with landholders and organisations across Australia, like Land Covenantors Victoria and Prom Coast Ecolink, to promote the connection of private landholdings and consider how they too can be tied into the vision we all share – protecting and connecting land for conservation and threatened species.
Wildlife Unlimited, in partnership with local landholders and mentored by BioDiversity Legacy, is leading the Helping Hands for the Sheoak project – an ambitious effort to restore stands of Sheoaks (Allocasuarina littoralis) on private land across East Gippsland.
These plantings aim to increase the availability of feed trees for the nationally endangered Glossy Black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami), a species that depends almost exclusively on Sheoak seeds for food.
Supported by the Natural Resource Conservation Trust (NRCT) and the Rendere Environmental Trust, the project brings together an active network of collaborators, including local landholders, the Far East Victoria Landcare Group (FEVL), Moogji Aboriginal Council and the Friends of Mallacoota.
A closer look at the project
In May 2025, BioDiversity Legacy’s Community & Stewardship Manager, Robyn Edwards, visited two participating properties and toured the Moogji Aboriginal Council Nursery, where Sheoaks destined for future Glossy Black-cockatoo habitat are being carefully propagated.
Sheoaks are remarkable, drought-tolerant trees with fine, needle-like foliage and distinctive woody cones. But they are also slow to mature; trees can take up to 10 years to produce cones containing the seeds that Glossy Black-cockatoos extract and even longer before their branches are sturdy enough to support feeding birds. Glossies are highly selective, returning year after year to particular female feed trees within a stand.
At the Moogji Nursery, Misty Anderson has been collecting seed from Sheoaks where Glossies have been observed feeding. By propagating seedlings from known feed trees, the team hopes to better understand potential genetic traits that may improve long-term revegetation success.
A highlight of the planting day in Genoa was a Glossy flying over the planting site. Photo by Peter Murrell.Misty Anderson (left), Moogji Aboriginal Council Nursery and Esther Gatnau from Wildlife Unlimited with Sheoak seedlings.Mature Sheoak tree. Photo by Robyn Gower. Helping Hands team members (l to r): Les McLean (Natural Resource Conservation Trust), Loulou Gebbie Biodiveristy Legacy, Josh Puglisi FEVL and Jim Phillipson, Rendere Environmental TrustSheoak cones. Photo by Robyn Gower.Planting day, Geroa. L (back) to r: Amelia, Fred, Esther Gatnau, Dixie Fitzclarence, Ted Dexter and Fred Jnr.
Building on earlier recovery work
This project builds on extensive Sheoak regeneration and Glossy Black-cockatoo recovery efforts undertaken by Landcare, BirdLife and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action following the 2019–20 Black Summer Bushfires. New project sites now stretch from Lakes Entrance and Marlo, across to Wangarabell and Genoa in the far east.
Community conservation in action
The project is also creating opportunities for the community to get involved. At a recent planting day on Ted Dexter’s farm in Genoa, young conservationists Freddie and Amelia – and their parents – spent the day planting and guarding Sheoaks alongside other volunteers.
“It is very inspiring when the younger generation turns up to help at a planting day,” said BioDiversity Legacy’s Head of Conservation Engagement & Partnerships, Dixie Fitzclarence. “It provides a measure of hope for the future.”
Around 10 years ago, former Melbourne schoolteacher Stuart Inchley and policymaker Victoria Johnson stumbled across a 300+ acre property for sale in the hills of South Gippsland (historically known as Land of the Lyrebird).
With a passion for conservation, sustainability and climate justice, the couple made the life-changing decision to purchase the property, place a conservation covenant on it and act on its behalf as land stewards.
It took several years for Stuart and Victoria to properly survey the property, which is characterised by dense bush, cool temperate rainforest and steep terrain, learn about local species and appreciate just how unique it is.
At first, he thought there were maybe a few dozen, but with local ecologists from Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group and elsewhere, Stuart and Victoria have now counted hundreds of individual plants. Given estimates suggesting that just 1,000 are left in Victoria, this is a major find that is attracting interest nationally and internationally.
Listen to leading Victorian ecologist, Karl Just, describe South Gippsland’s rainforests and species found within the Tarwin River Forest.
Back to reality
Unfortunately, Stuart and Victoria’s elation and finding so many Slender Tree-ferns was short-lived. Within just a few weeks, they heard chainsaws and logging activities in the property next door.
These actions, by HPV Plantations – the largest private plantation company in Australia – came within a few metres of the couple’s fenceline; too close for comfort for the ferns, which can easily be damaged by exposure to wind, rain and other elements. Stuart and Victoria felt they had no choice but to launch a campaign to stop these actions, garnering huge community support through their Gippsland Forest Guardians website (*story update – the campaign was successful!).
Partnerships for protection
With Gippsland Threatened Species Action Group (GTSAG) and other groups, Stuart and Victoria are also running campaigns to protect the last remnants of Cool Temperate Rainforest in South Gippsland, home to unique native species such as Gang-gangs, Powerful Owls, Pilotbirds, the rare and endangered Strzelecki Burrowing Crayfish and Strzelecki koala.
These rainforests, which are dominated by Myrtle Beech, Southern Sassafras, Blackwood and eucalypts with a thick understorey of tree and ground ferns, exist in high rainfall, higher altitude, fertile environments. While they can still be found across Victoria, land clearing, fire and logging have reduced the amount of these forests in Victoria to a mere 0.08% of the state’s total area and are now listed as a threatened community under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988).
In partnership with Prom Coast Ecolink and local landholders, in 2024, GTSAG received a generous grant from the Wettenhall Environment Trust to undertake a mapping survey of Cool Temperate Rainforest on Stuart and Victoria’s property and three adjoining Trust for Nature properties (totalling over 850 acres) to map the distribution of Slender Tree-ferns.
We’re all behind Stuart and Victoria and the commitment they have made to protecting the environment and building connections with the local community to raise awareness of BioDiversity Legacy and the need to strengthen local biolinks.
Through necessity, the early settlers viewed the Australian landscape through an economic lens, assessing the natural value of the land in terms of what they could extract from it.
Now, as we shift our focus to natural capital – the air, water, soil, plants and animals that essentially keep us alive – we are beginning to value more diverse landscapes. But not all get the attention they deserve.
A case in point are the muddy, mucky landscapes known as coastal saltmarsh. Despite providing an astonishing array of ecosystem services, they remain greatly undervalued. But why?
Blue carbon landscapes
Broadly defined as a mosaic of coastal ecosystems, saltmarsh is one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, likened to kidneys or lungs in terms of its ability to filter pollution and intercept nitrogen run-off from farms.
In South Gippsland, Victoria, this lung effect can be seen from above as we look down at the 67,186-hectare site of Corner Inlet. Adjacent to Wilsons Promontory and the Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park, Corner Inlet is one of 64 wetland areas listed as a Wetland of International Importance under Ramsar Convention.
Fringing the Inlet and the 40 plus sandy barrier islands within the inlet are some of the most floristically diverse coastal saltmarshes in the country; marshes that not only reduce farm run-off and provide a nursery for young fish, but capture and store carbon at rates 30-50 times higher than the equivalent area of soil in terrestrial forests – a process known as blue carbon.
Listen to Nooramunga Land & Sea Botanist, Karl Just, talk about key saltmarsh species.
Reframing notions of value
According to Melbourne University wetland ecologist, Paul L. Boon, Australians have always undervalued saltmarsh. He uses the folktale of Cinderella to describe how they are perceived as the ugly or poor stepsister of inland wetlands – wastelands standing between us and our desire to live on the coast and extract resources from it.
Viewed through European eyes, saltmarshes certainly ain’t pretty; in Cinderella’s words, “When they look at me, they see a mess”.
But if you look closer you can see the jewels in the landscape, like the samphire or glasswort whose jointed branches look like strings of coloured beads. Or the red seablite that mixes with the samphire to create rivers of red marsh.
A population at risk
While Corner Inlet retains 80% of its saltmarshes, a salutary lesson can be learned if we look west to Anderson Inlet, where 60% of the marshes have been lost. Or further north to Botany Bay – ironically named for its biodiversity – where losses in some areas are reported as 100%.
However, some plants within the Corner Inlet, including the iconic grey or white mangrove, are endangered. Perversely, if the saltmarshes are not managed well, the system gets out of balance and mangroves take over. So these systems need to be managed carefully.
An island of hope
In 2022, leading Victorian botanists Tim D’Ombrain and Karl Just got wind of a potential sale of Little Dog Island off the coast of Hedley within Corner Inlet.
Little Dog Island photo with thanks to Andrew Wallace.
Formerly owned by a group of developers who attempted to build an eco-resort on the island – complete with 9-hole golf course – the 62-hectare island was abandoned when the project failed. It lay idle for 14 years until Tim and Karl invited Federation University paleoecologist Professor Peter Gell, Rendere Environmental Trust Strategic Director Jim Phillipson and Carbon Landscapes co-director Dr Steve Enticott to collaborate on a new conservation project.
Together they formed a not-for-profit organisation called Nooramunga Land & Sea to hold the island in trust for future generations with provisions to enable community engagement and collective land stewardship.
The ‘saltmarsh crew’ are now repairing damage caused by the development and eradicating feral animals and weeds. They’re also investigating opportunities to secure other private properties in the area.
“We see these landscapes as ecological gems in the jewel that is Corner Inlet,” says Jim Phillipson. “They are beautiful and highly productive landscapes that support human health and wellbeing. But they are fragile and easy to disrupt. To protect them, we need to value them and promote their intrinsic value – just by being left alone.”
Like other areas within the Inlet, Little Dog Island attracts a wide range of migratory birds. It may also provide habitat for the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot, which feeds on plants that grow in salty or alkaline conditions, such as saltmarshes.
Expectations are high that the Parrot will be spotted on Little Dog Island, with members of the conservation crew participating in BirdLife Australia’s Winter Surveys. The crew are also exploring opportunities to secure other properties in the Inlet to build biolinks and connections for plants, animals and people.
With thanks to Professor Paul Boon, whose research on saltmarsh is published in the CSIRO journal Marine & Freshwater Research and Royal Botanic Garden Sydney journal, Cunninghami
