The NSW Government has announced the opening of nominations to identify and protect Areas of Outstanding Biodiversity Value (AOBVs) on both private and public lands across NSW.
AOBVs are special areas with irreplaceable biodiversity values that are important to the whole of New South Wales, Australia or globally.
The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) has today released its four-year business plan, for 2021–22 to 2024–25.
“Looking forward, over the life of its business plan, the BCT is aiming to enter 400 new agreements over 200,000 hectares to protect another 50 unique underrepresented
NSW Landscapes,” the Chair of the BCT board, the Hon Niall Blair said.
The revolving fund involves the BCT identifying properties up for sale that contain very high conservation values. The BCT buys these properties then ‘revolves’ them by selling to landholders interested and willing to sign an in-perpetuity conservation agreement on a portion of the land, to manage that area for biodiversity conservation outcomes.
The BCT are seeking 8-10 experienced accredited assessors (AAs) to participate in two workshops in late August and September. The workshops are an opportunity to provide advice and information to support the development of the new BCF charge system, including the cost-structure model for ecosystems and species credit pricing.
The BCT has invited two additional landholders to sign conservation agreements to protect an additional 1,485 hectares of priority koala habitat in the Southern Highlands.
Environment Minister Matt Kean has appointed Mr Niall Blair as Chairperson of the BCT.
Mr Kean said Mr Blair’s over twenty years experience across government and private sectors made him ideally suited to lead the BCT Board into the future.
