Our impact
550,000 hectares protected, on title, in-perpetuity
2,400+ landholder agreements
200+ threatened species protected
"Most farmers want to do biodiversity conservation, they just need direction, a plan and resources."
- Will Hooke, Edward River landholder
The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust offers conservation agreements to support NSW landholders protect and manage biodiversity on their properties. Agreements come with an option of annual payments to deliver an agreed management plan or access to grant funding to realise conservation goals.
Comparison of our agreements
| Description | Bid for the costs to deliver an agreed conservation management plan. Bids are competitive | Receive a fixed price to deliver an agreed conservation management plan | A conservation agreement, with no annual payments, and no set conservation plan | Entry-level conservation agreement, with no annual payments and no set conservation plan |
| Min. size of conservation area | Varies | Varies | 20 hectares* | 10 hectares* |
| Geographical restrictions | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Agreement length | Minimum 15 years | In-perpetuity | In-perpetuity | Long-term |
| Registered on title | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Can be revoked if land is sold? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Financial support | Successful participants received annual payments, at a price you set | Successful applicants receive annual fixed price payments | Agreement-holders can apply for grants of $15,000 a year for 3 years | Agreement-holders can apply for grants of $2,000 a year, up to 3 years |
| Actively manage the agreed area | Required | Required | Recommended | Recommended |
| Annual reporting | Required | Required | As a condition of grant funding | As a condition of grant funding |
| Yearly occurrence | Per a schedule of opportunities | All year^ | All year | All year |
| Exempt from council rates? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Option | This is a conservation tender. It is offered under our Conservation Management Program. | This is a fixed price offer. It is offered under our Conservation Management Program. | Standard agreement. It is offered under our Conservation Partners Program. | Wildlife refuge. It is offered under our Conservation Partners Program. |
*Proposed areas less than the minimum size may be considered should they contain very high conservation values (e.g. threatened species or their habitat, or threatened ecological communities), or are of high strategic importance, or are within priority investment areas under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy.
^A new offer opens on 1 March each year.
Note: Applying for a biodiversity stewardship agreement (BSA) can be completed at environment.nsw.gov.au
