Land plan to help preserve environment

The program is aimed at safeguarding and enhancing land of ecological importance, with landowners pairing their farming expertise with environmental stewardship, and receiving payment from developers impacting native vegetation on their site.

Debbie and David Bain are part of a fifth-generation family of wool and lamb farmers, and have met with success in establishing biodiversity offset sites.

Realising the environmental importance around the native grasslands on their Stockyard Hill property, Mrs Bain was introduced to an offset broker to discuss how to preserve the land while not being impacted by the reduced farming productivity that would bring.

“During the development of the management plan there was an ongoing conversation with
the ecologist, and they took on board our ideas and experience,” she said.

“This allayed our fears that the ecologists would come up with something unworkable. None of the three management plans that we have got at this point are too restrictive at all.”

Currently readying their third site sale, Mr Bain encouraged other farmers and landholders to offset their land as well under
the recommendation of a good broker.

“It has enabled us to manage the grazing business better and the grassland business better,” he said.
If you are considering offsets, you will need a broker, a solicitor and ecologist.

“Choose a broker who listens, who has a similar ethic to you and who will come with you through the process and be honest and up front,” Mr Bain advised.

Mrs Bain said she’d recommend offsetting if it “meets how you do things, your philosophy, business model and values.”

To find out if you have a site of ecological importance, contact Vegetation Link on 1300 834 546 or email [email protected].