From the 10-11 October, the Australian Land Conservation Alliance held its annual Private Land Conservation Conference (PLC24), under the theme ‘Nature Now: Action for People and Planet’. NRM South’s Sustainable Agricultural Facilitators, Tim Ackroyd and Dr Yolanda Hanusch, attended this event, which explored barriers and opportunities to accelerate and expand nature action and finance. The conference not only highlighted the amazing work that is already happening across Australia but emphasised the ongoing challenges ahead and the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done.
Some of the key messages from PLC24:
Increased support for Indigenous initiatives
First Nations voices were well represented at the conference, and there were a number of stand-out examples of projects that supported Indigenous-led business ventures as well as meaningful, long-term partnership projects that support Aboriginal access to Country and a shared knowledge approach. There is a need to shift power and visibility to Indigenous communities, mobilising resources and forming strong partnerships.
Investment in nature
There is strong public support for increased investment in nature, but only 0.5% of our budget goes towards the management and conservation of our natural environment. There is both a need and an opportunity to harness the markets for real conservation impact, instead of the current model for the sector which relies heavily on government funding and private philanthropy. Businesses need to go beyond reducing impacts and use their influence to educate consumers and promote sustainability.
We can help increase investment through increased advocacy at all levels and by garnering public support to expand the markets and communicating positive examples – such as:
- Bass Coast local Council established an environment fund to help with landscape protection and restoration
- Biodiversity Legacy, an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting a groundswell of individuals, communities and organisations who want to protect biodiversity and ensure the equitable transfer of land to future generations.
- Farming For the Future Research provides the evidence and practical support that producers need to incorporate natural capital as part of the foundation of their farming businesses, and to activate the supply chain to encourage and reward that shift.
“Research so far has demonstrated that investment in natural capital on farm can increase overall productivity by 5% – this is significant as productivity has been flatlining for over 50 years.” – Tim Ackroyd.
Shaping the narrative for nature action using social research
The conference presented on the results of social research initiatives and shared an interesting suite of findings. For example, 97% of surveyed Australians want more action on nature; 95% want more investment and 73% want stronger laws. Compared to survey results from 2020, 58% of Australians are more concerned about climate change and as we age, we are less likely to vote for nature. Understanding more about attitudes across different demographics can help organisations tailor messages and improve engagement.
- Climate Compass A research project aiming to better understand how Australians feel, think and act when it comes to climate change.
- Biodiversity concerns report – A survey of community attitudes to nature conservation.
Take home messages
- People care but feel overwhelmed by what actions they can take, and the perception that what they do will not make a difference.
- Understanding how different demographics view nature and climate change will inform how we shape the narrative.
- Misinformation persists within the community. To combat this, effective long-term relationships need to be developed alongside engaging and consistent messaging.
- Advocacy is needed at all levels – much more can be done to garner public and private support for increased investment in nature.