Across Australia, private landholders are playing an increasingly active role in restoring and protecting habitat.
At BioDiversity Legacy, we work closely with people who may already have conservation covenants on their land or are deciding whether to do so.
Alongside this, our Local Landholding Entity (LLE) model offers another pathway to permanent protection, transferring land into a dedicated, community-led not-for-profit structure.
These approaches are not competing solutions. Rather, we see conservation covenants as complementary to the protections enabled through the LLE model, together strengthening Australia’s private land conservation estate.
Understanding what motivates landholders to choose these pathways – and what supports them to care for land over the long term – is essential if Australia is to meet its biodiversity commitments.
Recently, LCV hosted two leading researchers, Dr Carla Archibald and Dr James Fitzsimons (The Nature Conservancy), who shared local and global insights into landholder motivations for covenanting and the policy settings needed to scale impact.
This two-part blog series explores those insights. In this first piece, we focus on Dr Archibald’s research into why landholders adopt conservation covenants and what drives long-term stewardship. A second article, to be published in March 2026, will examine Dr Fitzsimons’ research on the urgent role governments must play if conservation covenants are to help Australia meet its national biodiversity goals.
What are covenants?
Before we delve into this exploration, let’s start with the basics. What is a covenant?
A conservation covenant is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landholder and an authorised body to protect and care for land with important natural, cultural and/or scientific values.
The landholder retains ownership and can continue to live on and use the land, while agreeing to manage all or part of it in ways that conserve its identified values, in partnership with the authorised body.
Authorised bodies (often called covenant scheme providers) may include not-for-profit organisations, government agencies or local councils that have the authority to enter into conservation covenants with landholders; for example, Trust for Nature in Victoria, Biodiversity Conservation Trust in NSW and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC).
Why landholders choose conservation covenants – insights from Dr Carla Archibald’s research at Deakin University
For more than a decade, Dr Archibald has studied private land conservation and the social dynamics behind environmental behaviour. Her recent research – based on a survey of 475 landholders in New South Wales – asked a simple but powerful question: What drives someone to commit their land to long-term conservation?
Conservation is already happening quietly, everywhere
One of the most striking findings of the survey is just how widespread voluntary conservation already is in NSW. Over 80% of surveyed landholders were actively undertaking conservation management – weed control, revegetation, pest and feral animal control – independent of any formal agreement.
Only 15% of those surveyed had a legally binding conservation covenant, but another 39% were involved in programs such as Land for Wildlife. This suggests an enormous, untapped pool of landholders who are already engaged but may need additional support, confidence or incentives to take the next step.
The four key influences on covenant adoption
Dr Archibald’s research identified four strong drivers:
1.Existing conservation engagement
Landholders already actively caring for their land were eight times more likely to adopt a covenant. This points to a progressive pathway: care – commitment – covenant. “People who are passionate about conservation are the ones willing to make a permanent commitment,” said Dr Archibald.
2.Time and capacity
Those with more time to undertake stewardship were 1.6 times more likely to covenant their land. Surprisingly, retirement status did not influence adoption suggesting time, not age, is the real barrier.
3.Suitable land available
Landholders who knew they had ecologically valuable or suitable areas were twice as likely to adopt. Property size itself didn’t matter. Agencies could therefore target properties with high conservation potential – focusing on ecological fit, not acreage.
4.Income and incentives
Financial incentives ranked lower than expected. However, landholders earning income from their land were more likely to adopt covenants. This shows:
Conservation can co-exist with primary production
Environmental markets in NSW are making conservation a sound business proposition
Conservation actions can enhance farm productivity and ecosystem services
A pathway that supports livelihoods and landscapes
The overarching message from Dr Archibald’s research is clear: Covenants are most successful when they align biodiversity outcomes with the social and economic realities of landholders.
Programs that acknowledge landholder capacity, income reliance and ecological assets have the best chance of expanding uptake.
She noted that policymakers are increasingly recognising this and praised LCV’s successful advocacy work – particularly the push for land tax exemptions for covenantors.
Looking ahead, Dr Archibald hopes to explore how sustainable finance mechanisms could underpin long-term conservation and community resilience.
In our element, experiencing the joy and adventure of a wild ecosystem.
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.
Getting there is part of the adventure. Bullock Island sits within the iconic Corner Inlet in South Gippsland, a site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. Reaching it requires a capable 4WD and a 30-minute drive along sandy, rutted tracks flanked by Manna Gums, Stringybarks, Grass trees and century-old Banksias. Wet weather gear, food, water and a good camera are essential – especially if you’re lucky enough to spot one of the inlet’s rare birds along the way.
Jewels in the landscape
Once on the island, you’re rewarded with a sweeping ecological tapestry. Beaded and Shrubby Glassworts, Pigface, Austral Seablite, Swamp Paperbark, Austral Brooklime, native grasses and White Mangrove forests paint the landscape in shifting tones of green, red, silver and gold.
On this particular visit, the volunteers have a mission – to retrieve remote-sensing cameras placed around a freshwater hole on the 72-hectare island to monitor fauna. As they cross the long causeway, a mob of kangaroos bounds across the tidal flats – a fitting welcome to this wild and beautiful place framed by the dramatic hills of Wilsons Promontory to the south.
Protecting Nooramunga Land & Sea
Bullock Island is the second island to be secured by Nooramunga Land and Sea (NL&S), a not-for-profit Local Landholding Entity supported by BioDiversity Legacy and dedicated to protecting and restoring these fragile coastal landscapes for future generations.
Along with neighbouring 60-hectare Little Dog Island, Bullock Island bears the scars of past farming and recreational use. Now, however, these islands are being carefully managed to heal. Rising sea levels due to climate change pose a challenge – but also an unexpected opportunity. Storm surges bring salty water that can kill off invasive weeds such as pasture grasses, helping native saltmarsh species reclaim their ground.
The islands are also blue carbon powerhouses. Their muddy soils lock away vast amounts of carbon, making them critical allies in the fight against climate change while nurturing biodiversity.
Watching Over a Global Bird Haven
Remote cameras are one of the tools that the NL&S stewardship team uses to watch over Bullock and Little Dog Islands. Carefully placed in the landscape, they support the detection of native fauna and help to identify potential threats – such as feral deer and foxes – to these internationally significant places.
Bullock Island is a vital stopover for migratory shorebirds and local beach-nesting birds alike. Visitors include the Critically Endangered Far Eastern Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Great Knot, Endangered Lesser Sand Plover, Red Knot and the Vulnerable Hooded Plover.
The island may even provide habitat for Australia’s most threatened bird, the Orange-bellied Parrot, which travels from Tasmania each year to feed on Victoria’s saltmarshes. With historic sightings in South Gippsland, the NL&S team remains hopeful of a future encounter.
A Wild Place Worth Protecting
Despite the long day, wet clothes and muddy boots, the volunteers leave Bullock Island with hearts full. They speak of the thrill of standing in a landscape where tidal creeks carve graphic patterns through the saltmarsh, where the texture of grasses and rushes shifts with the light and where each visit reveals something new.
They also carry with them a renewed commitment to the NL&S stewardship plan – a long-term vision to protect these living carbon sinks, strengthen habitat for endangered species and give the next generation the chance to witness the magic of this wild place.
Read more about NL&S, how they’re protecting critical saltmarsh ecosystems in South Gippsland, and BioDiversity Legacy’s role in this important work, HERE.
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’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.
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.
