Acquiring reserves

How we acquire land

We acquire land through purchase, gift or bequest. Because of the help of our generous supporters, we currently own and manage 34 reserves throughout Australia, covering over 947 000 hectares.

How we select reserves

Australia has no shortage of places in urgent need of Bush Heritage's protection!

However, to make sure that we make the best use of the funds our donors entrust us with, we use a rigorous selection process.

We aim to acquire land that:

• will contribute to preserving biodiversity or threatened species
• will contribute to maintaining a functional natural landscape
• protects communities and species that are under-represented in other reserves
• helps us meet our strategic conservation goals
  
• is of the right size, shape and location to offer effective protection to plants and wildlife
• is within our scientific and financial capabilities to manage in the long-term
• is not likely to be subject to Indigenous land claims
• can support viable populations of species and ecosystems for the long term.
  

For a more detailed description of how we select reserves, read about our Assessment Process.

What does this mean in practice?

In practice, we generally acquire land that features remnant native vegetation, which offers habitat for threatened wildlife. We often acquire land located near existing reserves. 

Our Anchor regions

We focus our activities in five ‘Anchor' regions. These were selected because of their outstanding conservation values, the condition of the land, the threats they face, and because they have species that are found nowhere else. The Anchor regions cover parts of every state in Australia.

Focusing our activities on key areas reduces the logistical challenges and cost of managing our reserves.

More information can be found on the Anchor regions page.