The role of landholders and the community

The reserve system that includes national parks and nature reserves has an important role in conserving biodiversity and natural ecological processes. An adequate reserve system ensures that viable areas of a range of ecosystems are managed for nature conservation as the primary land use. However, grassy ecosystems are poorly conserved, with most of the remaining sites containing grassy communities occurring outside reserves.

Conservation outside the formal reserve system, or ‘off-reserve  conservation’ supports the reserve system. Off-reserve conservation  ensures that additional areas that preserve natural ecological processes are retained across the landscape, but at the same time enables a range of land uses and conservation values to coexist. The retention of off-reserve sites is critical to retain the ‘conservation estate’, and the cooperation and  interest of landholders who manage areas of significance is required to maintain these systems.

The actions of the people who use and manage these sites can help  determine whether these communities improve in quality, are maintained  as they are or become degraded. A number of activities that managers can undertake will have a substantial positive impact on these communities.

Support from the community and government agencies is also required to ensure that land managers are not financially and socially disadvantaged by decisions to change their management practices. Commonwealth, state and territory governments, as well as several non-government  organisations recognise this. As a result funding assistance for landholders wanting to contribute to conservation and sustainable land management is available.

Landholders can establish management agreements or covenants over their land. Other less formal means also exist to assist landholders to manage for conservation outcomes. Community-run Conservation Management Networks (CMNs) are being established in NSW, ACT and other states. These networks include sites with particular conservation values and the people involved in their care and management. The CMNs facilitate the exchange of ideas, information and assistance that helps landholders manage and protect ecological communities. Information about these networks can be obtained from the contacts listed in the reference section of the kit.