Conservation programs
DECC is committed to the protection and conservation of high conservation value lands. Parks and reserves already protect more than five million hectares of NSW, or around 6% of the state's area. However, many valuable landscapes and habitats fall on land that is either privately owned or required for public amenity. DECC has developed the following major programs to encourage broad involvement in land conservation across NSW, regardless of tenure. DECC also works in partnership with other organisations to support non-statutory community programs which promote conservation on private lands.
Find out more about the following DECC conservation programs
The Conservation Partners Program provides the opportunity for significant natural and cultural heritage values on private and non-reserved public lands to be protected and conserved through Conservation Agreements and Wildlife Refuges under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. These long term legal commitments are entered into voluntarily and complement the public national park and reserve system. These lands play a critical role in connecting conservation areas to facilitate species survival and movement, and strengthen the resilience of protected areas by acting as a buffer to threats, including the potential implications of climate change.
The Greater Eastern Ranges is a continental scale conservation initiative along Australia's great eastern ranges, from the Australian Alps north of Melbourne, Victoria to the Atherton Tablelands to just west of Cairns in far north Queensland. Governments, private and public landholders and the general community are working together to help people, native plants and animals adapt to future environmental threats by reconnecting 'islands' of fragmented natural ecosystems, spiritual places and Country that are important to Aboriginal Australians, and significant post-1788 cultural heritage.
Biodiversity Banking and Offsets Scheme (or 'BioBanking') has been established under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 to help address the loss of biodiversity and promote the recovery of threatened species in coastal regions of the state, resulting from habitat degradation and loss - initially from over-grazing and clearing for agriculture and more recently from the clearing of native vegetation for urban development.
Biodiversity certification allows for the suspension of the requirement for threatened species assessment under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. Certification enables local government in areas with high development pressure to provide for the protection of biodiversity, including threatened species at the strategic planning stage.
To conserve the state's landscape, we need to acquire land for parks and reserves. Sometimes land is transferred to us from other government agencies. At other times, it is purchased from private landholders. Find out about DECC's priorities for acquiring new land for parks and how the process works.
Also see Land Alive - Aboriginal land management for biodiversity.