TERRITORY CONSERVATION AGREEMENTS
Territory Conservation Agreements (TCAs) support land managers to protect areas of conservation importance on their properties. TCAs are a 10-year voluntary agreements between Territory Natural Resource Management (TNRM) and a land manager. The program is supported through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program
The first agreement was signed in September 2011 and there are now over 35 agreements in place. Collectively, these sites encompass over 58,000ha of ecologically significant habitat, including wetlands and rivers, escarpment country and woodland.
Over $1.3 million has been provided to landholders to support the establishment of TCAs to protect biodiversity and native vegetation, with $1.8 million in in-kind contributions from participants also being invested.
As part of the jointly agreed obligations that make up the TCA between TNRM and the land manager, management actions may include fencing, weed removal, establishing alternative watering points for cattle, removal of feral animals or changes in burning practices.
Lakefield Station pastoralists Garry and Michelle Riggs set up their first Territory Conservation Agreement in 2011, and now have two TCAs in place over more than 1,000 hectares on their property. The program has allowed them to successfully balance production and conservation on their Sturt Plateau station. They have installed fencing around critical wetland habitats, while locating solar pumps and water points to protect environmentally sensitive areas.
The Territory Conservation Agreement program is supported through funding from the Australian Government's National Landcare Program.
“Territory Conservation Agreements have ensured that wildlife has thrived in wetlands that have remained pristine, dramatically improving the quantity and quality of the water and allowing for movement of stock away to safe water points.”
