A new report has found Australia is making mixed progress in enabling private land conservation – a key pathway for the Australian government to meet its commitment to protect 30 per cent of land by 2030.
Released by the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA), the report tracks government progress on recommendations to support and expand conservation on private land – including through conservation covenants and land purchase. With fewer than four years remaining for Australia to meet its target, the report finds progress has been uneven and, in some critical areas, insufficient.
"Private land conservation is essential to achieving 30 by 30, and there is strong willingness among landholders and conservation organisations to play their part,” said Jody Gunn, Chief Executive Officer at ALCA.
Lots of habitat that is critical for wildlife survival is found on private land. And because ofthis, many thousands of private landholders and conservation groups are alreadyprotecting nature on their land. They’re ready to do more – but they need government settings that make this possible atscale,” she said.
If Australian governments don’t act faster, those opportunities will not help us deliver Australia’s 30 by 30 commitments.”
The report reviews action by Federal, state and territory governments since 2023 when key reports by environment groups set out practical recommendations to bettersupport private landholders and managers to contribute to Australia’s landprotection target.
It identifies several positive developments:
- The Commonwealth has committed $250 million through the Australian Bushland Program to help protect land, including private land.
- Federal funding is now supporting state conservation covenant programs in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
- Work is underway on a Protect and Conserve method under the Nature Repair Market, which could help attract private investment into permanent conservation.
- South Australia has confirmed clear legal pathways for conservation covenants on pastoral land, and Tasmania has restarted its private land conservation program with Commonwealth support.
"These steps show that governments recognise the contribution that private land conservation can make, but they are not yet enough to deliver the scale of protection required,,” Dr Gunn said.
According tothe report, the Australian Bushland Program’s funding is well below what is needed to protect enough private land, even with co-investment.
Other areaswhere progress is falling short include the lack of stable, long-term funding mechanisms in many states to support conservation covenants and ongoing land management, tax and incentive settings that continue to discourage landholders from committing to permanent protection, and limited progress on reforms linking climate, carbon and conservation outcomes.
With biodiversity decline continuing and development pressures increasing, the report warns that delays in strengthening private land conservation frameworks risk pushing the 30 by 30 target out of reach.
"Private land conservation is one of the most cost-effective ways to protect nature,” Dr Gunn said. “But it only works when governments back it with sustained funding, clear rules and genuine incentives for landholders.”
The report calls on governments to urgently scale up investment in private land conservation, strengthen conservation covenant programs, and remove the financial and legislative barriers that are slowing uptake.
Since the ALCA report was released, the Federal Government has indicated how the first tranche of funds is expected to be delivered through the Australian Bushland Program, which will create opportunities for private protected areas across several states, an approach that ALCA warmly welcomes.
