From the field
Biodiversity Protection in Action
Sharing nature-inspired updates on BioDiversity Legacy activities, partnerships and connections around Australia.
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Conservation at Every Scale: A Biodiversity Month Story
For Biodiversity Month, we visit two conservation properties in Victoria’s Mallee acquired by Carbon Landscapes and explore why protecting nature matters at every scale.
A whale-sized sign of hope
A rare Southern Right Whale sighting beside Bullock Island, protected by Nooramunga Land & Sea, highlights the connection between protected islands, coastal habitats and the wider seascape.
Building the evidence base for Spot-tailed Quoll recovery in East Gippsland
A major wildlife recovery project in East Gippsland has delivered essential data to guide the future conservation of the endangered Spot-tailed Quoll. Led by Wildlife Unlimited, the project has informed captive breeding, translocation and climate adaptation strategies.
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.
Community Secures Major Win for Painkalac Valley Wetlands
Nearly 30 hectares of the Painkalac Valley – the largest and most significant estuarine wetland on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road – will now be protected and restored following a lease agreement secured by BioDiversity Legacy.
When Support for Nature Is High, Why Is Funding So Low?
The Australian Land Conservation Alliance has, for the first time, systematically analysed how much money is being spent to protect nature. The report reveals a stark gap between what is spent and what is needed.
Beyond Grassroots: How Hyperlocal Networks Are Transforming Conservation
While ‘grassroots’ conservation movements are critical, at BioDiversity Legacy we’re seeing conservation unfold on a more intimate, fluid scale through what we call hyperlocal networks.
What Will It Take to Scale Conservation Covenants in Australia?
How can conservation covenants be strengthened and scaled to deliver greater conservation impact across Australia? Leading academic, Dr James Fitzsimons, tells us how.
Private land covenants: why landholders act — and why it matters
Across Australia, private landholders are playing an increasingly active role in restoring and protecting habitat, using covenants as a protection mechanism, but what motivates them to do so? At BioDiversity Legacy, we work closely with people who may already have...
Turning the Tide for Our Coastal Saltmarsh
Visiting Bullock Island on a gusty high tide is not for the faint-hearted. But for a small group of committed volunteers, the challenge is more than worth it. A bit of cold, wet and mud is a small price to pay for an up-close encounter with one of Victoria’s most remarkable saltmarsh environments.
EcoGipps: Growing a Living Legacy in Central Gippsland
In a pioneering act of generosity, the Phillipson family has donated a105-hectare property in Central Gippsland to BioDiversity Legacy for permanent protection and long-term ecological stewardship, in collaboration with the EcoGipps venture.
Connecting Country: Growing a Landscape Vision on the Far South Coast
BioDiversity Legacy is engaging with a growing number of landholders on the Far South Coast of New South Wales, with Communities & Stewardship Manager, Robyn Edwards, recently visiting a remarkable 27-hectare property in the Eurobodalla region to meet members of the Tilba Lake Community.
Empowering Landholders and Communities: Reflections from the 2025 ALCA Conference
In October, BioDiversity Legacy joined landholders, Traditional Owners, scientists and conservation organisations at the 2025 Australian Land Conservation Alliance Conference in Cairns, where we co-presented a session with Andrew and Angus Cleary on Nuggan Sanctuary’s journey to lasting protection.
Two islands, one vision – safeguarding Corner Inlet’s saltmarsh communities
BioDiversity Legacy’s bold vision for protecting vulnerable ecosystems at scale is being realised in South Gippsland, where Nooramunga Land & Sea (NL&S) has secured its second saltmarsh island.
Biolink Coordinator recognised as a trusted voice for nature
BioDiversity Legacy Biolink Coordinator, Stuart Inchley, has been selected to join an august list of conservation experts in the Nature Media Centre – a ‘non-partisan resource’ that gives journalists access to experts with real-world insights into the complexities of environmental protection and management.
Connecting with communities on Far South Coast of NSW
In June, members of the leadership team headed to Far South Coast to participate in workshop aimed at helping the community identify critically endangered Threatened Ecological Communities within the River Flat Eucalypt Forest.
Spot-tailed Quoll Recovery Program
BioDiversity Legacy is one of several partners involved in a program to rescue the nationally endangered Spot-tailed Quoll, focusing initially on areas in East Gippsland, with ambitions to secure populations across Victoria and interstate.
Strengthening wildlife corridors in South Gippsland
Landholders and nature lovers across South Gippsland are being encouraged to contribute to a Biolink Map being developed by the South Gippsland Landcare Network to give the community a bird’s eye view of potential wildlife corridors.
Land Covenantors Victoria unites for conservation
Launched in 2021 with the support of the Rendere Environmental Trust, EcoLands Collective and Trust for Nature, Land Covenantors Victoria quickly gained momentum, establishing itself as a model for locally-driven conservation.
Partnership to reverse biodiversity loss on Victoria’s Bass Coast
BioDiversity Legacy is pleased to announce a major partnership with Victoria’s Bass Coast Shire to tackle the biodiversity crisis through targeted actions to restore and protect habitat along this magnificent stretch of coast.
Survey highlights the importance of private land conservation
Two of Victoria’s most experienced ecologists and botanists recently surveyed three Trust for Nature properties in South Gippsland finding the largest stand of Endangered Slender Tree-ferns ever recorded, as well as other rare species.
Succession planning for farming families
BioDiversity Legacy Director, Jim Phillipson, was one of 40 speakers invited to present at the GROUNDED farming festival in Tasmania, where he talked about succession planning and the need for families to haveinformed conversations .
Why community conservation is the missing link
Also known as greenways, green belts, shelterbelts and wildlife corridors, biolinks are an attracting concept appealing to a broad cross section of people as a visible solution to habitat fragmentation. But do they work – and what makes them work?
Helping Hands for the Sheoak Project
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 on private land and increase the availability of feed trees for the Glossy Black-cockatoo.
Last stand for Endangered tree ferns
Around 10 years ago, Stuart Inchley and Victoria Johnson stumbled across a 300+ acre property for sale in the hills of South Gippsland. It took them several years to survey the property, finding large population of Critically Endangered Slender Tree-ferns.
Protecting our coastal saltmarshes
Fringing Corner Inlet in South Gippsland are some of the most floristically diverse coastal saltmarshes in the country – marshes that capture and store carbon at rates 30-50 times higher than the equivalent area of terrestrial forests.