Midlands Conservation Fund short-listed for two awards
The Midlands Conservation Fund has been shortlisted for a prestigious 2014 Banksia Sustainability Awards and the Tasmanian Community Achievement Award.
The Midlands Conservation Fund is a partnership between the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and the Bush Heritage Australia. The program helps farmers safeguard remnant native grasslands and grassy woodlands on their own properties.
“The Midlands Conservation Fund program was designed by farmers for farmers. Midlands landowners are achieving fantastic conservation outcomes on their own working properties” Jane Hutchinson, CEO of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy said.
The program helps to conserve biodiversity on farms in the Tasmanian Midlands by offering stewardship agreements to farmers, paying for long-term conservation management on their land.
“The Midlands Conservation Fund gets conservation on the farm balance sheet and recognises good management,” said Philippa Walsh, Bush Heritage’s Executive Manager of Conservation. “By working with farmers we are building on long-term local knowledge and expertise to protect native grasslands – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.”
The Tasmanian Midlands are home to 32 nationally threatened species and more than 180 plants and animals threatened at state level.
The winners of the Banksia Sustainability Awards will be announced in Sydney on November 11, and Tasmanian Community Achievement Award winners will be announced on November 21.