Conservation covenant program

The National Trust’s Conservation Covenant and Stewardship Program has registered 189 covenants protecting more than 18,000 hectares of bushland in Western Australia.

With a large percentage of Australia’s significant natural heritage on private land, private landholders are critical to the long-term protection and conservation of natural and cultural values. By becoming a part of the Conservation Covenant and Stewardship Program, landholders can conserve the values of the land they manage and help protect it forever.

Australian ecosystems are highly diverse and can be poorly represented on public lands (Figgis 2004), so public land protection alone is insufficient. Private land can substantially contribute to increasing protected habitats, species resilience and maintaining landscape connectivity to complement the Australian Government’s National Reserve System.

Protected land is generally of low production value, with high nutrient land used for agriculture and production. Private land can contain very different vegetation types, including the last remaining native vegetation and habitats in some areas.