The Andrews Labor Government is protecting the habitat of threatened species on four privately-owned properties after reaching voluntary agreements with the owners of the land.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced today that the covenants will protect conservation values on private land through the work of Trust For Nature.
Trust for Nature has a strong history of helping private land holders make a lasting contribution to the future of Victoria's environment.
The Labor Government is working with Trust for Nature so that private land habitat can be better protected and rehabilitated through removing barriers and creating incentives for private land owners to participate.
The four covenants cover:
- 74 hectares of Tootgarook Swamp near Boneo on the Mornington Peninsula containing Coastal Alkaline Scrub and habitat for the Swamp Skink (Lissolepis coventryi) and White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
- 45 hectares of Grassy Dry Forest near Lancefield containing habitat for the Brush-tailed Phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa)
- 19 hectares of land at Quambatook on the Avoca Plains containing a mix of vegetation communities including Plains Grassland and Plains Savannah and habitat for Carpet Python (Morelia spilota) and Plains Wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus); and
- 83 hectares of land in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion at Pomborneit including habitat for Grey Goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) and Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua).
These covenants significantly increase the amount of private land under voluntary permanent protection in Victoria – a priority of the recently released draft biodiversity plan: Protecting Victoria's Environment - Biodiversity 2036.
The Labor Government is developing the biodiversity plan to set a new direction for the management of our native plants and animals in Victoria.
Submissions and comments made through the recent public consultation on the draft biodiversity plan are now available at HaveYourSay at DELWP:
Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“Habitat for our threatened flora and fauna doesn’t stop at the boundaries of our national parks and reserves. We are supporting Trust for Nature because it works with landowners to protect conservation values on private land.”
“It is important that private landowners are supported in their conservation efforts and the Andrews Labor Government will continue to look at removing barriers and providing incentives to enable greater participation.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020