Trust for Nature has released its new Statewide Conservation Plan, which provides goals and targets for strategic conservation on private land across Victoria over the next decade.
In the face of biodiversity and climate crises, the group says it’s more important than ever that scarce resources are placed in the areas where they can have the most impact.
An indicative 100,000 ha of Victoria’s nature on privately-owned land will be targeted for protection by 2030.
Currently, about 110,000 ha of freehold land across Victoria has been protected.
Trust for Nature says Victoria can’t rely on national or state parks to prevent species extinction; support from landholders is needed to protect nature.
One way landholders can offer support is to protect the land permanently with conservation covenants.
Putting a conservation covenant on a property is voluntary.
The plan identifies 18 landscapes (13.5 per cent of all private land in Victoria) across the state that will make the greatest contribution towards conservation on private land, helping to save vulnerable plants and animals.