Conservation Co-investment

Work with partners and grow your efforts to protect, enhance and restore biodiversity in NSW.

Snow gum woodlands protected through conservation tender snowy Monaro aerial

What is a Conservation Co-investment?

A Conservation Co-investment brings together landholders, partners and the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust to fund and support long-term conservation projects.

These projects protect high-priority, large-scale biodiversity assets across NSW, using both government and additional investment.

How does a Conservation Co-investment work?

It brings together funding from different sources to make a bigger impact.

With other partners, we can achieve scalable conservation outcomes.

Our Conservation Co-investment priorities

Under-represented landscapes

These are ecosystems and landscapes that are not well represented by public or private conservation efforts.

Areas with high conservation value

We help protect important places like habitats for threatened species, wetlands and endangered ecosystems.

Over-cleared vegetation

We support habitat recovery and help build biodiversity in areas that have been heavily cleared.

Areas of landscape connectivity

We protect and restore habitat corridors so animals and plants can move, adapt to change and survive in healthy, connected landscapes.

Areas at high risk of loss

We focus on places that face urgent threats. These are areas where we can act quickly to protect important sites and stop further damage.

Aboriginal cultural values and practices

We work with Aboriginal communities to protect and care for places that are culturally important.

Who can express interest?

You can apply if you are:

  • Willing to enter a new, permanent conservation agreement.
  • Able to match our conservation management contribution through cash/in-kind.
  • Able to apply at least 1 of the following:
    • are a landholder with 1 property, or
    • a landholder with up to 10 properties under the same ownership, or
    • a lead applicant working with up to 10 landholders, where all properties support the same conservation goal.
    • a lead applicant on behalf of a landholder/s, where the landholder/s has provided formal consent for the application to be lodged.

If your project includes habitat restoration, you’ll also need to show you have the skills and experience to manage it.

View the most frequently asked questions

Your conservation area must meet these requirements

To be eligible, your proposed area (or areas) must:

  • be in an eligible Local Government Area, within NSW
  • be freehold or crown leasehold land with no current conservation agreement
  • be more than 500ha, or be ecologically important enough to make a real conservation impact
  • support strong biodiversity outcomes for at least 2 of the conservation priorities listed above.

Landholder and Partner Guide

You can find detailed information about who can apply and what land is eligible in our Conservation Co-investment Landholder and Partner Guide [Updated February 2026].

Download the guide

Submit your interest

Submit expression of interest

    Explore Co-investment Opportunities

    Our Co-investment Noticeboard makes it easier for partners and landholders to discover and connect with high value, large-scale biodiversity projects. Each project listing outlines conservation value, activities, and funding requirements, and stays online for up to two years. Sign up to our partner mailing list to receive alerts as new eligible projects become available.

Sign up for noticeboard alerts

What a Conservation Co-investment offers you

Match our investment

This can be a mix of money and in-kind contribution, for example fencing, weed control or planting native vegetation.

Significant impact

Help protect special places with high conservation value across NSW.

Group or multi-property applications

You can apply with more than one property or landholder. You can also apply as a single owner with land in different locations. This helps support large, connected conservation projects across NSW.

Habitat restoration

You and your co-investors can take an important role in tackling climate change, reconnecting landscapes and supporting Aboriginal cultural outcomes through habitat restoration.

"Backed by innovative funding to deliver lasting protections: that's exactly the kind of funding model we need to help meet Australia's nature targets."

James Fitzsimons, The Nature Conservancy

Contact the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust

We welcome your feedback.

Phone:1300 992 688
Our website:nsw.gov.au/bct
Contact us page:Contact us
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