Eyre Peninsula landholders included in Australian vegetation pilot
Eyre Peninsula is one of six regions across Australia to be included in an Australian Government pilot program that will see local farmers able to apply to receive payments to manage and enhance remnant native vegetation on-farm.
6 October 2021
The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board will be involved with the Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot at a local level as a contact for landholders who want to talk about the possibility of being involved in the pilot.
Our Streaky Bay Landscape Officer Libby Hunt will be one of the officers available to help Eyre Peninsula farmers who are interested in finding out more about the pilot.
“With this pilot, the Australian Government is recognising that farmers and land managers play a key role in biodiversity stewardship and is trialling tools to help farmers adapt to climate change and create new income streams,” Ms Hunt says.
“Across the Eyre Peninsula we have some very valuable farming land but there are also areas of land with existing native vegetation within farming systems which this new pilot is focusing on.”
Under the pilot, farmers could receive payments to manage and enhance remnant native vegetation on-farm. Examples may include installing fencing, carrying out weeding, pest control and replanting.
Eligible management activities will improve the condition of remnant vegetation, leading to biodiversity benefits as well as other potential benefits on farm. The trial will prioritise funding for projects with the most biodiversity benefit per dollar.
Participating in the pilot will provide farmers with opportunities to diversify into less drought-exposed income streams, making farm income more secure and improving biodiversity outcomes through better land management.
Farmers will be required to actively manage their vegetation over and above what is already required by law; and will enter into 10-year agreements with the Australian Government to generate genuine biodiversity outcomes.
The Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot is the second pilot under the Australian Government’s Agriculture Stewardship Package, following the Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot being launched earlier this year in the same six trial regions across Australia.
More details about the Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot can be found on the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s website.
Eyre Peninsula landholders who are interested in the participating in the pilot can contact their nearest Landscape Officer:
- Streaky Bay Landscape Officer Libby Hunt on 0437 701 810
- Cleve Landscape Officer Liam Anderson on 0428 282 077
- Tumby Bay Landscape Officer Geraldine Turner on 0407 603 574
Or email EPLBAdmin@sa.gov.au to be put in touch with one of them.
These details are also on our website.
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