Farmers paid to fence off land forever for conservation September 30, 2025 8:45 PMSubscribe
Farmers paid to fence off land forever for conservation. Farmers in southern New South Wales are protecting parts of their land in perpetuity, fencing off tens of hectares for conservation. posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (8 comments total)
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The NSW BCT pays the farmers an average of $217 per hectare each year to cover the cost of maintaining it.
Alexander Sloane and his wife Ann have 365 hectares of land under BCT on Savernake Station.
So they earn AUD79.205 a year to maintain that land. Given how much money governments everywhere waste, that has to be just about the best investment any government ever made. Nearly 1,000 acres protected for peanuts.
A kind-of-similar program is Land for Wildlife, supported by local governments and operating in various parts of Australia, with the aim of (obviously) preserving land for native wildlife. posted by dg at 9:30 PM on September 30 [4 favorites]
So they earn AUD 79,205 a year to maintain that land. Given how much money governments everywhere waste, that has to be just about the best investment any government ever made. Nearly 1000 acres protected for peanuts.
And the land performs multiple functions:
a) wildlife habitat;
b) carbon sink;
c) preventing erosion/dust storms/mudslides/landslides. (Trees and other vegetation are SO IMPORTANT for this.) posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:45 PM on September 30 [4 favorites]
Was there supposed to be some other number behind "tens of" and before "hectares" or are we literally just talking about tens of hectares here?
(BTW, for the benefit of other unit-challenged Americans reading this thread - to save you a search: one hectare is just a smidge less than two and a half acres.) posted by Nerd of the North at 10:48 PM on September 30 [1 favorite]
How does this compare to a conservation organization buying the land? posted by NotLost at 10:53 PM on September 30
Was there supposed to be some other number behind "tens of" and before "hectares" or are we literally just talking about tens of hectares here?
From the article: "The Sloane siblings are among nine landholders in southern New South Wales who have a total of 1,579 hectares protected in perpetuity." For a point of comparison that might be helpful for some: that's about 4.6 times the size of Central Park.
How does this compare to a conservation organization buying the land?
From the article: "If the land is sold in the future, the protected areas remain conserved." The landholders still own the land and can sell it, it just has to be maintained for conservation purposes, which is is not necessarily exclusive of (some) other uses. posted by jedicus at 8:59 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]
In the US, this is called a conservation easement. While there generally isn¡¯t direct payment, like so many other things in the US, a conservation easement can be used to reduce one¡¯s taxes.
National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has historically made direct payments to farmers to do things like fallow strips of cropland near streams and ponds to improve habitat and reduce runoff. posted by rockindata at 11:31 AM on October 1 [1 favorite]
In the US, this is called a conservation easement. While there generally isn¡¯t direct payment, like so many other things in the US, a conservation easement can be used to reduce one¡¯s taxes.
My wife and I (in western Washington) bought nine acres adjacent to our home and did exactly this. We put it in conservation status with the county (as part of their PBRS process https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/buildings-property/green-sustainable-building/current-use-taxation-programs) and it dropped the property tax on that land by about 75%. The downside, such as it is, is that the land classification is "permanent," and can only be exited by paying a fee and seven years (I think) of back taxes. This could in theory reduce the resale value of our land, but I don't care. posted by riotnrrd at 11:44 AM on October 1 [3 favorites]
Getting landowners on-board with supporting biodiversity is key.
Labor is a better greens party than the Greens. posted by neonamber at 7:45 PM on October 1
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A kind-of-similar program is Land for Wildlife, supported by local governments and operating in various parts of Australia, with the aim of (obviously) preserving land for native wildlife.
posted by dg at 9:30 PM on September 30 [4 favorites]