Right now, communities across Victoria are reeling from devastating bushfires across the state. Homes and livelihoods have been lost. Among those affected are hundreds of private land conservation heroes – covenantors and Land for Wildlife members. These passionate Victorians have dedicated countless hours to protecting nature and caring for some of the most important ecosystems ...
Trust for Nature (Victoria)
Landholder Support – Bushfire Recovery Appeal
GOAL
$25,000
Australia > VIC > Regional
Field of Interest
- Environment conservation and climate change
Target Population
- General population
Trust for Nature (Victoria)
Trust for Nature was established under the Victorian Conservation Trust Act in 1972. We have a unique legislative mandate to permanently protect nature on private land. Our mission is simple yet powerful: more and better private land conservation in Victoria.
Our Impact:
- 119,377 hectares permanently protected through 1,789 conservation covenants and 42 nature reserves.
A conservation covenant permanently protects and conserves private land with natural, cultural or scientific values. It restricts activities that may damage native habitat on the land, such as clearing, intensive farming or subdivision. That’s how covenants are helping to safeguard Victoria’s threatened species such as Plains-wanderers, Helmeted Honeyeaters and Squirrel Gliders.
- In FY25 alone, we secured 61 new covenants, adding 2,706 ha of habitat forever.
- Through the BushBank program, we restored 2,291 ha in 2025, contributing to global 30x30 biodiversity targets.
- Our stewardship team are committed to working with landholders to support best-practice habitat management. In 2025 our team made a record 1,205 engagements with landholders.
- In 2025 the Land for Wildlife program was transferred to Trust for Nature. Land for Wildlife plays a powerful role in conserving Victoria’s biodiversity by supporting private landholders to protect, restore, and enhance native vegetation and wildlife habitat—voluntarily and at no cost. Today, around 5,000 properties—covering 536,000 hectares—are registered across Victoria, creating a network of safe havens for wildlife.
Project Summary
Right now, communities across Victoria are reeling from devastating bushfires across the state.
Homes and livelihoods have been lost. Among those affected are hundreds of private land conservation heroes – covenantors and Land for Wildlife members. These passionate Victorians have dedicated countless hours to protecting nature and caring for some of the most important ecosystems in our state.
Now, they need our help.
Trust for Nature is launching an urgent Landholder Support – Bushfire Recovery Appeal to support these landholders and the habitats they care for.
Every dollar raised will go directly to a Landholder Support Program, providing small grants to help Trust for Nature covenantors and Land for Wildlife members restore their properties for conservation.
These fires haven’t only destroyed homes, fences and infrastructure, they’ve scorched vital habitat on private land that native species rely on for food and shelter. The scale of impact is sobering with more than 30 conservation covenants, over 100 Land for Wildlife properties, and one of Trust for Nature’s reserves affected.
Everyday Victorians – farmers, families, businesses and individuals – dedicate time, resources, and passion to protecting nature on private land. For these landholders, conservation is a labour of love. They’ve spent years – often decades – restoring and protecting their land so wildlife can thrive. Now, they face the task of rebuilding and restoring what’s been lost.
Please, if you can, donate today to help regenerate Victoria’s wildlife habitat and support the people who protect it.
Project Outcomes
The Landholder Support – Bushfire Recovery Appeal will help support these landholders and the habitats they care for.
This may mean repairing fences, replanting native vegetation, and controlling weeds and pests to create safe havens for wildlife once again. Longer term, this might look like monitoring, adaptive management, and ongoing support to ensure wildlife returns and ecosystems recover.
In addition, landholders with conservation covenants will be contacted by their local Conservation Program Manager in the coming months to arrange a suitable time to visit their covenant. This will occur once the bushfires are over, and the authorities deem the areas safe to visit. The visit will enable us to assess the impact of the bushfires on the covenant, and advise on recovery activities that may be required the future. The Conservation Program Manager will establish ecological photo point monitoring, gather information to update the management plans, and provide advice to landholders on what to expect regarding bushfire recovery, and how to support recovery.
Trust for Nature has been monitoring the fire impact areas through desktop assessment tools and DEECA modelling to determine what conservation covenants, reserves and Land for Wildlife properties may be impacted.
Bushfire impacted landholders, with conservation covenants or Land for Wildlife properties, will be invited to apply for support payment for specific works on their property related to bushfire restoration.
The scope and value of the support payments available to landholders will be determined following the conclusion of the fundraising appeal.
Together, we can make a difference.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $200,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Donations | $13,819 |
| Funding Gap | $25,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Landholder Support Payments | $200,000 |
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