Improving environmental outcomes on conserved and managed lands

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Improving environmental outcomes on conserved and managed lands

Project start date: 01/10/2023
Project end date: 31/12/2026
NESP funding: $687,000 (GST exclusive)

As part of its commitment to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Australian Government has key goals and targets that specifically acknowledge the importance of protecting, conserving and managing land and water effectively.

Government has committed to conserving and effectively managing 30% of land and sea areas by 2030.

Meeting this target will require other effective area-based conservation measures, or OECMs, to complement Australia’s protected-area network.

This project has examined how private-land conservation programs could contribute to this national target. Researchers reviewed programs across Australia against the 12 principles of the Australian National OECM Framework and identified changes that could strengthen their potential to deliver enduring biodiversity outcomes. The national review found that many private-land conservation programs already align strongly with most OECM principles. However, none of the programs reviewed currently meet all requirements for OECM recognition, primarily because they do not demonstrate the required long-term commitment to biodiversity management. Read the final report on the national review below.

Read the report

Land for Wildlife participants. Photo: Phil Wise.

Alongside the national review, the project is working with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Land for Wildlife Tasmania, Land for Wildlife South East Queensland and 4 local governments: Logan City Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, City of Moreton Bay and City of Gold Coast.

The research explores practical interventions to help private landholders identify biodiversity values, monitor wildlife and improve conservation management on their properties. It has also produced survey-outcome factsheets for participating Land for Wildlife programs.

Key research areas

To address the challenges of meeting the Australian Government’s commitment to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, this project is:

reviewing private-land conservation programs against the draft Australian OECM framework criteria
identifying programs that are suitable for place-based research to improve outcomes for conservation and biodiversity
establishing a framework for place-based research to be added to private-land conservation programs in other jurisdictions.

Pathway to impact

This project will:

assess how private-land conservation programs align with draft OECM criteria and identify key gaps to inform national policy and program improvement
demonstrate whether coupled conservation programs can deliver environmental outcomes that meet OECM recognition standard.

The first report addresses the first of these pathways, final report(s) on the other will follow later.

The bettong is a marsupial protected within conservation areas. Photo: Matt Palmer
The forty-spotted pardalote is a threatened native bird whose habitat has become highly fragmented. Photo: Andrew Browne.