At a time of growing environmental concern, drought and climate change, a new source of income for landholders is emerging to sit alongside the traditional farming methods – farming nature.
Various schemes are now generating cash for landholders who provide habitat for native animals or other environmental benefits on their land. These schemes can be for big commercial farms right through to small lifestyle properties or hobby farms.
To explore these schemes and their potential for landholders, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA) is hosting three free seminars around Melbourne on the 14th, 21st and 28th June.
The seminars will focus on “tender” and “offset” schemes, two of the main types of schemes that have been trialled in Victoria in recent years.
In the case of tender schemes, landholders bid to provide environmental services on their land and, if they offer sufficient value, they are subsequently contracted and paid for carrying out the work.
In the case of offset schemes, the negative effect of works undertaken in one place are offset by positive works elsewhere. So landholders can be paid for positive environmental works on their properties, in some cases to offset carbon emissions or unavoidable clearing of bushland by others.
Landholders that have taken part will discuss their own experiences in these schemes.
Lynda Chambers is one such landholder and has, over the past few years, taken part in a number of different tender and offset schemes on her 10 hectare property at Park Orchards, near Warrandyte in Melbourne’s east.
“For us, it started after a property management course with the council which gave us access to funds to reduce the weeds on the property. We became involved with the council’s BushGain program which also rewarded us for protecting the native vegetation and biodiversity values of the property.
“We have been involved in the Melbourne Water Stream Frontage program, offset the vegetation removed from building our own home on the block and have an arrangement with the council for vegetation offsets from landowners who can’t undertake these offsets on their own land,” Lynda explained.
“Without access to the range of funds, which now means we can pay contractors to do a lot of the work, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we have done. The property is in better condition than when we started and the local wildlife, like wedge-tailed eagles, have somewhere to go as a refuge to travel to and from the river.”
Lynda Chambers is just one example of what is possible for landholders. Her approach has generated new farm funds, improved the property, created biodiversity links for local wildlife, reduced the impact of weeds and pest animals and improved the condition of the property’s streams that run into Andersons Creek and the Yarra River.
PPWCMA CEO David Buntine says these ‘farming nature’ schemes are a new frontier for landholders.
“These schemes are bursting onto the scene and are an exciting, new business opportunity for farmers and landholders. They are an innovation that can add a new revenue stream for a property but like any business opportunity it is very important to know how the schemes operate and whether they suit an individual’s situation. These seminars will introduce and explain the possibilities for landholders,” he says.
Specific topics that will be presented:
* Tender (Auction) Schemes: what are they and how do they work?
* Offsets for Native Vegetation clearance: what are they and how do they work?
* Offsets for Carbon emissions: what are they and how do they work?
* Landholder experiences
Seminar dates:
* Saturday 14 June
Frankston Arts Centre, Cnr Young & Davey Streets, Frankston
* Saturday 21 June
Manningham Function Centre, 699 Doncaster Road Doncaster
* Saturday 28 June
Witchmount Estate Winery Function Centre, 557 Leakes Road, Rockbank
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