National Forum

Get Paid to Keep Your Native Forests! - a unique program provides financial incentives to landowners for conservation covenants to protect the most important forests on private land
Abstract for Steven Smith
Private Forest Reserves Unit, Resource Management and Conservation Division
Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (TAS)
Protecting the Bush
2:45-3:00pm, Wednesday, March 21 2001

The Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA), signed in November 1997, resulted in $30 million dollars being made available, from the Natural Heritage Trust and from a special Commonwealth grant, to protect forest communities on private land, which could not adequately be protected on public land.

The Private Forest Reserves project is establishing a system of Private Forest Reserves ('private CAR reserves') by assisting landowners to place perpetual conservation covenants on their land titles to voluntarily protect forests of great conservation significance. The aim is to protect 100,000 hectares of such forests (at an average of $300 per hectare) . The total extent of these forests on private land is estimated to be about 500,000 hectares.

Scientific rigor and objectivity are ensured through an assessment process that includes an independent Scientific Advisory Group. An Advisory Committee comprised of a broad range of key stakeholder representatives facilitates transparency, accountability and strategic overview.

Restrictive conservation covenants, management agreements and operations plans have been completed for 15 landowners and cover 1,989 hectares. Funds provided to landowners to secure these covenants, are based on approximately one third of market value of the forested land, and amount to $394,480 (an average of $198 per hectare). Ministerial approval has been given to covenant a further 42 properties to protect an extra 8,000 hectare. Based on current progress, it is estimated that by December 2003, Ministerial approval will have been given to protect 100,000 hectare and that all covenants to protect this area will have been secured by December 2004.

In exceptional cases, where no other options exist to protect a forest type, purchase may be considered. To date, 12 properties have been purchased to protect 3,266 hectare, at a cost of $3,336,475 (an average of $1,022 per hectare).

Rapid progress has been made since the first covenants were put in place in June 2000. The interest shown by rural landowners has increased dramatically and well-respected landowners are becoming 'champions' for the Program. Application of capital gains tax to financial considerations paid to landowners continues to be a significant barrier to participation by landowners, and is contrary to the Prime Minister's policy of encouraging philanthropy in nature conservation.

Various strategies, both reactive and proactive, are being used to establish the Private Forest Reserves system. Marketing and promotion are targeted at rural landowners and result in many direct expressions of interest. Landowners are also referred by other programs directed at conservation on private land, such as Bushcare, Coastcare, and the Protected Areas on Private Land program, which focuses on covenanting non-forest native vegetation on private land. Landowners, who have been identified as having significant native forests, that are strategically important for establishment of extensive Private Forest Reserves, are also being approached directly by the Private Forest Reserves Unit

Landowners are referred to the Private Forest Reserves Unit by the State's forest management regulators - the Forest Practices Board, which assesses timber harvesting plans and applications to establish Private Timber Reserves. The Forest Practices Board has responsibility for implementation of the Forest Practices Act 1985 and the statutory Forest Practices Code, which applies to commercial forestry activity both on Crown and on private land.

The Forest Practices Board has responsibility for implementing Tasmania's Permanent Forest Estate Policy. Under this policy, the total area of native forests statewide is to be maintained at or above 80% of 1996 levels, and the area of each forest community within each of the State's nine bioregions is to be maintained at greater than 50 percent of the 1996 level. The Permanent Forest Estate Policy is being reviewed with the intention of ensuring that rare, vulnerable and endangered communities are adequately protected. The Forest Practices Act will be amended to include non-commercial tree clearing.

Native vegetation can also be protected under the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993 and the Resource Management and Planning System. Under this system, Local Governments are required to ensure that planning schemes have regard to the principles of sustainability as defined in the Act, and some chose to impose planning controls to protect vegetation of greatest conservation significance.

Under a new State Government initiative, a policy framework, similar to that developed for forest conservation, will be established to determine conservation priorities for non-forest native vegetation and to facilitate conservation of native vegetation on private land using the range of available mechanisms and incentives.