Ecosystem Conservation - Conserving Biodiversity - The Heritage Agreement Scheme
The Heritage Agreement Scheme is a program to encourage and assist landholders to conserve native vegetation on their properties. A 'Heritage Agreement' is a contract between a landholder and the State Government for the protection in perpetuity of a particular area of native vegetation. In signing the agreement the landowner becomes eligible to receive financial assistance for the management of the land, a rate rebate on the Heritage Agreement land and fencing assistance if required. The Heritage Agreement scheme is administered by the Department for Environment and Heritage on behalf of the Native Vegetation Council and Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation. How the Heritage Agreement Scheme WorksA landholder intending to place bushland under Heritage Agreement first applies to the Native Vegetation Council. Officers from either the Department for Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation or the Department for Environment and Heritage visit the area and assess the condition of the bush, its biological and habitat value, and the presence (or absence) of special or rare plants and animals. An assessment report containing recommendations is then prepared and submitted to the Native Vegetation Council. A copy of the report is available to the landowner.
The Native Vegetation Council (which meets regularly and which comprises people with farming and land management expertise) will then decide whether or not to recommend placing the bushland under Heritage Agreement. If recommended, the Heritage Agreement plans and documents are made ready for signing by the landholder and the Minister for Environment and Conservation. The Heritage Agreement is registered on the title of the land and is therefore transferred with the ownership of the land. The Terms of Heritage AgreementsA Heritage Agreement is a legal contract between the landholder and the government to ensure the conservation in perpetuity of native vegetation and wildlife habitat on a specified area of land. Any activities that would damage the native vegetation or wildlife habitat values of the area are contrary to the terms of the agreement. Although the agreement is registered on the title, the land remains the property of the person who holds title to it. So land under Heritage Agreement can be bought and sold in the same way as other land. The Heritage Agreement is transferred with the ownership of the land. Landholders whose bush is under Heritage Agreement continue to have the same rights and obligations under various acts and regulations, such as the Animal and Plant Control (Agricultural Protection and Other Purposes) Regulations 2002 . Assistance for Heritage Agreement LandownersThe Native Vegetation Council offers a range of incentives to provide assistance for the management of land held under Heritage Agreement. The Native Vegetation Council may provide funding for fencing of bushland for Heritage Agreements requiring protection from immediate threats to native biodiversity eg. livestock grazing. See Heritage Agreement Fencing Project. For land held under Heritage Agreement, landowners are eligible for relief from rates and taxes (in the case of Council rates, this applies from the second year of the Heritage Agreement). Heritage Agreement owners are also eligible to apply for funding through the Heritage Agreement Grants Scheme for assistance with management and on-ground activities to protect native biodiversity. Bush Management Advisers/Natural Resource Management Officers are located in some of the Department for Environment and Heritage and Natural Resource Management Board regional offices. These advisers can offer assistance in managing Heritage Agreements.
The Heritage Agreement Scheme So Far
Heritage Agreements are now scattered widely across the agricultural regions of the State. They include large areas of mallee and heath vegetation on Eyre Peninsula, the Murray Mallee and the Upper South East. In many cases these areas of bushland remained uncleared because in earlier years they were considered to be unproductive marginal lands. Heritage Agreements in the Mt Lofty Ranges and on Kangaroo Island are mainly found in areas where steep terrain and poor soils along ridges had discouraged clearance. There are also some Heritage Agreements in the rangelands, where broadacre clearance of native vegetation was not possible and land use is mainly extensive livestock grazing. Heritage Agreements vary greatly in size, the smallest being about 0.3 ha and the largest some 50,000 ha. In the Mt Lofty Ranges Heritage Agreements are fairly small, about 5 -10 ha being typical, whereas in the dry mallee country of western Eyre Peninsula many are 5,000 ha or more. The average size is approximately 400 ha. The Scheme has been a major investment in the future of the State, and during the life of the program the State Government has allocated over $80 million. This money has been paid from public funds in recognition of the fact that the protection of bush, the conservation of biodiversity, and good land management are to the benefit of the whole community. Rather than being viewed as a high price to pay, this is a cost-effective and economical investment; for in the long-term it is cheaper to keep remnant bush rather than to try to rehabilitate degraded land in later years. It is important to note, too, that Heritage Agreements complement the network of parks and reserves in South Australia. Moreover, they are important for providing habitats for those native animals which require intact bushland. For example, Heritage Agreement bushland on several adjoining properties in the Murray Mallee region is aiding the survival of the Malleefowl. This endangered bird is particularly vulnerable to predation by Foxes and each pair requires an extensive area of fairly unspoiled open woodland. In the Upper South East several large Heritage Agreements are helping conserve the Southern Emu-wren. On Kangaroo Island Heritage Agreements have been established over forested land which contains important feeding and nesting sites for the Glossy Black-Cockatoo. When the scheme was first introduced, there was some uncertainty about the affect of Heritage Agreements on property values and sales. In general, Heritage Agreements have not detrimentally affected property values or sales. In some cases now, farms with bushland command a premium over properties that have been fully cleared. Heritage Agreements are generally not viewed as a negative encumbrance, and many properties with agreements have sold at very high prices (also see Commonwealth Government Tax Incentives). The Heritage Agreement Scheme also has links with the Sanctuary Scheme, another form of private land conservation. Some Heritage Agreements have dual status (ie Heritage Agreement and Sanctuary). See Application for a Heritage Agreement form (50Kb PDF). Send applications to: Private Land Conservation Further information can be found in the following document, or if you are interested in a Heritage Agreement see your local Bush Management Adviser or contact Private Land Conservation (61 8) 8463 4813. See Heritage Agreement Scheme (200Kb PDF) In the following document a cross-section of participating landholders tells the story of how and why they became involved and what their bushland means to them and their families. See Heritage Agreement Experience (1.7Mb PDF) Wildlife and Habitat Support GroupOne of the benefits of owning a Heritage Agreement is contact with like-minded landholders and a chance to share in their ideas and experiences through the Wildlife and Habitat Support Group's meetings, field days and other activities. Wildlife and Habitat Support Group is run by landholders and is registered as a 'Friends Group' within the Friends of Parks Inc. Heritage Agreement Grants SchemeTo assist holders of Heritage Agreements with the conservation management of their land, a grant scheme was introduced in 1995. Any activity which benefits the conservation of the area (except for fencing, which is funded separately) will be considered for financial assistance. Projects assisted so far include the development of management plans; the mapping of vegetation types, important native species and weeds; coordinated pest animal and weed control programs; and repair of damaged land within Heritage Agreement areas. As with other grant schemes the applicant will be required to contribute an amount equivalent to the funding being sought, this contribution being in the form of funds, labour or materials. Application forms for the Heritage Agreement Grants Scheme are available from your Bush Management Adviser. Three grant rounds are available each year (March, August and December). Further information in relation to the Heritage Agreement Grants Scheme can be found in the following document. See Heritage Agreement Grant Scheme (250Kb PDF) Heritage Agreement Fencing ProjectThe Heritage Area Fencing project was instigated at the beginning of the Heritage Agreement scheme as it was recognised that fencing was an integral component to the protection of the native biodiversity values of Heritage Agreements. The standard approved fence design is fauna friendly, with the prime objective to exclude stock, but allowing for the movement of native animals. Since the inception of the Heritage Agreement scheme over 6,000 kms of fencing has been erected to exclude livestock and protect native biodiversity. Heritage Agreements are prioritised for fencing on native biodiversity importance, grazing impacts, the owner's property planning and the time since the Heritage Agreement was registered. Further information in relation to Heritage Agreement Fencing can be found in the following document, or by contacting Private Land Conservation (61 8) 8463 4812 or your local Bush Management Adviser. See Fencing for Heritage Agreement Areas (200Kb PDF) Commonwealth Government Tax IncentivesThe Heritage Agreement Scheme is an eligible covenant under the Australian Government's Conservation Covenanting Program. For landowners that enter into a Heritage Agreement after March 2005, tax concessions may apply (subject to conditions). For further information on tax incentives visit http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/fact-sheets/incentives.html or phone the Community Information Unit on 1800 803 722 (within Australia only). You should also discuss these matters with a trained tax specialist. |
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South
Australian landholders can create a permanent private nature refuge
for future generations by taking part in the Heritage Agreement
Scheme. This innovative and effective program for the conservation
of South Australia's native vegetation has been in operation since
1980. Introduced because of concern about over-clearance of bushland
in the agricultural region of the State, the Heritage Agreement
Scheme and over 1,400 Heritage Agreement landholders have ensured
the long-term protection of over 600,000 ha of the State's original
vegetation.
The
Heritage Agreement Scheme has proved to be an innovative and effective
program for the conservation of native vegetation. By early 2006,
1,345 agreements had been signed for the protection of over 570,000
ha of bushland.
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| This page was last modified 2006-05-18 | ||
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