Rather than maximising stock, the Nicolsons have regularly chosen to keep stock numbers low to lessen the impact on the native grasslands and grassy woodlands. But it hasn’t always been an easy choice; running more stock could have paid off large bills in tough years, while the impacts of climate change and an increased capacity to irrigate also put pressure on the family to intensify their farming practises.
Innovating for the bush
The Tasmanian Midlands conservation project is making that decision an easier one by providing farmers with a reliable, additional income stream.
“It was always very clear that the Midlands are a significant place for biodiversity. What was unclear was how to protect those values,” says Jane Hutchinson, CEO of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.
“The farmers approached us and Bush Heritage… looking for a way to engage with nature conservation while still continuing their farming practises and the farming legacies that are so significant to them.”
The solution that ultimately came out of those conversations with landowners was something called a ‘stewardship agreement’. These rolling agreements with local farmers (for up to 10 years initially, and extended five-year terms thereafter) result in them receiving annual payments in exchange for meeting key conservation outcomes.
As a result, there’s less financial pressure on farmers like Sam when they manage their land for conservation.
“This model recognises that those farms in the Tasmanian Midlands aren’t for sale, and may never be for sale. So it’s a smart way of achieving conservation outcomes on land that we wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” says Gerard O’Neill, CEO of Bush Heritage.
Of course, the money for those payments must come from somewhere, and that’s where the Midlands Conservation Fund (MCF) comes into the picture.
This $3 million fund, generously donated by the Sidney Myer Fund, The Myer Foundation, John T Reid Charitable Trusts, the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and others, allows for those payments to continue on in perpetuity.