Over 58% of the continent is dedicated to agriculture and around 50% of threatened species are found on private land. In contrast, only 22% of the continent is made up of protected areas. If we want to fulfill our purpose of returning the bush to good health, we recognise that we have to go beyond our reserve boundaries. Sustainable farming practices are a necessary solution to the biodiversity crisis.

We’re working across 10 million hectares of agricultural land to bring our national scientific expertise to farmers and large-scale landholders.

We have the tools to provide a holistic view of the land they manage and support them to develop plans to protect the ecological values of their land. To do this we've developed a four-phase framework that can be applied to our partners with small-scale family farms or large-scale pastoral properties.

1 Characterise

Our team of ecologists and data scientists analyse and map the natural values on each property and verify findings with on-ground surveys.

2 Assess

To understand what condition the natural values are in. Working with partners across the continent, we’ve developed innovative technology to provide them with a wealth of data across 4 million hectares.

3 Improve

We co-develop projects to enhance those natural values. We look at direct actions such as threat management to protect threatened species, or landscape rehydration and restoration techniques.

4 Measure

We make sure the implemented actions are improving outcomes on the land.

“No two farms are the same, but we have a framework that supports everyone and can be extended to specific landscape contexts.”

Contact our Agriculture Team

To help build sustainable outcomes and diversify our income streams, our work with natural capital in agriculture is fully funded by contributions from the farmers, partners, corporations, governments and landholders with whom we work.

Focus areas

Environmental services

Such as preparing accounts of natural capital and advising on fire, weed and feral predator management.

Biodiverse carbon capture

Using our experience to help landholders explore biodiverse carbon capture opportunities.

Natural products

Supporting the development of natural products (e.g. sustainable seed harvesting) that could diversify revenue to invest in conservation.

Midlands Conservation Partnership

The Tasmanian Midlands are home to some of the most threatened ecosystems in the world - temperate grasslands and grassy woodlands. In collaboration with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy we’ve been working with farmers in the midlands for over 10 years, using a fund that provides stewardship payments to farmers in return for conserving biodiversity.

Tasmanian Midlandscapes Project

Ecologist Matt Appleby with farmer Valerie Le Maitre. Photo Amelia Caddy.

Drone footage of a fork in a creek at Naree Reserve, NSW. Photo Justin McCann.

Integrated Vegetation Condition

In partnership with Climate Friendly, we’ve developed a way of using satellite and drone images with other field data to measure the condition of vegetation. It's been accredited by Accounting for Nature. We apply this on farms to produce evidence for agricultural impact investors and to certify biodiverse carbon capture.

We’re in the process of expanding the method to monitor vegetation on large rangeland properties with carbon projects (>10,000 ha).

Biodiverse carbon capture

We use learnings from restoration work and carbon trade projects on our reserves to advise other local projects.

The Eurardy Carbon Planting Project in WA is improving biodiversity in the understory of carbon plantings.
In Victoria the Climate Ready Project is providing learnings on how to approach restoration and carbon capture in a changing climate.
We're also working on projects at Ediegarrup and Hamelin reserves in WA, where our restoration at Monjebup Reserve provides a template for successful ecological restoration.

Restoration & biodiverse carbon capture

Person carrying seedlings and planting tool. Photo Amelia Caddly.

Bluegrass (Dichanthium spp.) seeds at Carnarvon Station Reserve. Photo by Krystle Wright.

Harvesting Bluegrass seed

Native Bluegrass grasslands at Carnarvon Reserve in Queensland occupy under 600 ha but provide crucial habitat. We're harvesting Bluegrass seed to sell to local landowners, graziers and mines undertaking offset work. This creates a sustainable, minimal-impact income stream for Carnarvon Reserve and more healthy native grasslands.

The blue grass of home

Bushtracks article 17 January 2025

A legacy of care

At Turnip Creek, we are leading a collaborative research project to demonstrate rehydration strategies that enhance biodiversity and farm production.

RS42962 Chris Miller and Joel Fitzgerald

Bushtracks article 21 June 2024

Cubba Cubbah forever

Protecting, restoring, and regenerating the land involves baseline ecological monitoring for BackTrack guides and healing strategies for Country.

RS4366 SCOTT FAUNA Scarlet Robin 2007 April Jiri Lochman

Bushtracks article 11 January 2024

A natural link

Preliminary results are in from Macdoch Foundation’s Farming for the Future research project and they indicate a positive link between biodiversity and prosperity.

Bushtracks article 27 October 2023

Restoration and carbon capture

The first seeds of a world-class restoration project are planted and set the bar for future carbon projects.

Podcast 12 April 2023

Farmer wants some biodiversity

It might seem strange for an ecologist to spend time on pastoral lands, but that’s exactly what Imogen Semmler does, to measure the health of their ecosystems and quantify their biodiverse value.

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Bushtracks article 27 March 2023

Lessons from the Midlands

A decade of collaboration between landholders, the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and Bush Heritage. Discover the lessons learned along the way.

Bushtracks article 14 June 2022

Biodiversity on the Books

Ecologist Imogen Semmler is touring farms in NSW, to measure the health of farm ecosystems as part of Bush Heritage’s emerging focus on working with farmers to increase biodiversity.

Webinars 24 November 2021

Webinar: Seeds of Innovation at Carnarvon

Join Chris and Alison Wilson in this webinar to discuss harvesting native Bluegrass seed at Carnarvon Station Reserve and rehabilitating degraded grasslands.

Field notes 7 April 2021

Win-win for native grasslands

Rare native Australian grasslands have been given a new lease on life thanks to an innovative seed harvesting project at our Carnarvon Station Reserve.

Carnarvons grasslands cover just 4000 hectares of the 56000 hectare reserve

Bushtracks article 25 January 2021

The blue grass of home

Vital species live in Carnarvon Station Reserve’s endangered bluegrass grasslands. A new seed harvesting project is helping to ensure their survival in the face of climate change.

Field notes 28 April 2020

Beautiful King Blue

Ecologists at our Carnarvon Station Reserve in central Queensland have recently confirmed the existence of an endangered bluegrass species on the reserve.

King Bluegrass (Dichanthium queenslandicum)

Bushtracks article 13 April 2020

Farming for the future

On a farm in the Tasmanian Midlands, Simon Cameron is proving that conservation and superfine wool production can go hand-in-hand.

Bushtracks article 13 June 2017

Farming for change

Since 2012, Bush Heritage and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy have been working with farmers to restore the Tasmanian Midlands. Now, our efforts are starting to take root.

Bushtracks article 13 June 2017

Paying the way to conservation

What do you do if you want to protect the natural bush on your land, while at the same time making a living off it as a fourth-generation Tasmanian farmer?

Bushtracks article 13 June 2017

Standing in the way of extinction

For some threatened creatures, the grassy plains and woodlands of the Tasmanian Midlands are the only refuges they have left. That’s why we’re trying to save them.

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