A key action under Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy 2020-2030 is to facilitate the effective management of private protected areas through innovative partnerships. In supporting this action, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science has funded a two-year contract with Ecosure collaborating with NRM Regions Queensland to deliver a range of services that assist landholders managing their nature refuge through the Private Protected Area Program.

Nature refuge landholders protect more than 4.47 million hectares of conservation-significant land across the state. It is Queensland’s largest conservation covenanting program and the largest in Australia by land area.

The Department called for ideas for innovative delivery of nature refuge landholder services that increase the effective management of the significant natural and cultural values of nature refuges as well as establishment of a program of monitoring and evaluation to support effective nature refuge management, and the facilitation of meaningful and well-considered experiences that foster positive landholder engagement with the Private Protected Area Program.

Ecosure’s proposal was to work collaboratively with NRM Regions Queensland and six pilot regions to conduct a gap analysis to guide the program, before developing a suite of tools and resources to support nature refuge owners.

The six pilot NRM regions are: Healthy Land and Water, Fitzroy Basin Association, Terrain NRM, NQ Dry Tropics, Desert Channels Queensland and Cape York NRM. ­­­­

How landholders engage with the Private Protected Area Program

A gap analysis has been completed to identify how landholders within those six target NRM regions currently engage with the Private Protected Area Program and where they can be better supported.  The results of the survey informed a gap analysis and the establishment of a baseline for future landholder engagement as well as directing activities and efforts as part of a Strategic Plan.

Communicating about the Nature Refuge Landholders Services Delivery program

A Communication Plan was also developed to define who needs to share and receive information about the Nature Refuge Landholder Services Delivery contract. It includes the development of a cloud-based portal that houses a range of information, tools and resources such as webinars, training materials, links to best practice resources and sources of funding.

This project also includes one on one site visits and the subsequent development of individual property management plans for 109 Nature Refuge landholders. Site assessments and working with landholders across the 109 separate properties has begun and all individual plans will be developed by September 2023.

You can read more about this project at Ecosure’s website or find out more about  Queensland’s Private Protected Area Program from the Department of Environment and Science.