"There is no greater gesture a landowner can make to Victoria’s nature than placing a conservation covenant on their property." - Trust for Nature
What will your land look like in 100 years? With over 62% of Victorian land in private hands, some of the most vital conservation work takes place in our own backyards. Conservation covenants are one way landholders can play a significant role in the protection of Australia’s nature and unique species into the future.
What is a conservation covenant?
A conservation covenant is a voluntary, binding agreement between a landowner and authorised body that permanently protects and conserves private land.
At Cassinia Properties, our properties often have conservation covenants placed on the land title. We partner with Trust for Nature, one of Australia's oldest conservation organisations, to ensure these landscapes are protected forever. As the largest land covenantor in Victoria, Cassinia uses these covenants to guarantee that the restoration and/or protection work we do is never undone.
Conservation covenants are a commitment to preserving your land’s ecological integrity for the future.
What are the benefits of a conservation covenant?
For those looking to personally contribute to conservation, these agreements are a biodiversity-focussed mechanism that makes doing so easy and accessible.
Some benefits of include:
- Permanent protection: A covenant is designed to last forever. This means that your land and the conservation work you do will always be protected, regardless of who owns it in the future.
- Support from Trust for Nature: Trust for Nature develops management plans for properties with covenants to support decision-making, and they remain an ongoing stewardship resource to help you maintain your protected habitat. Trust for Nature staff will conduct stewardship visits to support landholders.
- Financial benefits: Many regional councils in Victoria offer rate rebates or concessions for landholders with a conservation covenant. As of the 2024 financial year, land protected by a Trust for Nature conservation covenant is also now exempt from land tax.
- Trust for Nature network: Landholders with a Trust for Nature conservation covenant receive ongoing communication from Trust For Nature, including event invitations, and join a Victoria-wide community of like-minded landholders.
Who is Trust for Nature?
Trust for Nature is a statutory body empowered to work with landowners to protect, manage, and regenerate native habitat on private land across Victoria, through placing conservation covenants on the land. Trust for Nature is the only organisation in Victoria empowered by law to place conservation covenants on private land.
To date over 1,700 private landholders across Victoria have partnered with Trust for Nature to protect more than 119,000 hectares of ecologically significant habitat across the state through conservation covenants.
What are my obligations?
In protecting your land with a conservation covenant, you retain ownership and become responsible for management activities as guided by a tailored Management Plan.
We understand that “binding agreement” can sound restrictive, but the Management Plan is unique to the needs of your property, ensuring your stewardship role is straightforward and purposeful.
A covenant generally limits activities that can be harmful to the environmental health of the land, including:
- removing native vegetation
- introducing non-native plants
- subdividing the land
- causing deterioration to the quality, flow or quantity of water
- introducing non-native animals
- removing wood or timber,
- removing or disturbing soil or rocks including cultivation
- using pesticides or fertiliser
- farming activities on highly sensitive areas of the covenant.
Are there exemptions?
Absolutely. Provided there is no negative impact and minimal risk to the conservation values of the covenant, Trust for Nature may consider exemptions to some of these restrictions. For example, to keep pets on the property, to practice sustainable grazing, to operate a non-farming business, to collect fallen timber as firewood, or to build a dam.
Ongoing support is provided through Trust for Nature’s Stewardship Program, which includes site visits to monitor the habitat growth, expert advice for management and biodiversity improvement and updates to the Management Plan as priorities evolve.
The bottom line is…
When you purchase a Cassinia property with a conservation covenant, you become the steward of a thriving ecosystem. You retain full ownership, while receiving the expert guidance and financial benefits needed to keep the land beautiful for generations to come.
With two-thirds of Victoria being privately-owned, improving habitat on private land with the guarantee provided by conservation covenants, can make a huge contribution towards safeguarding nature, and addressing habitat loss and climate change.
Conservation covenants ensure both your hard work and the nature you love is protected forever.
