16/17 TASLAND.ORG.AU CONTENTS 4 REPORT FROM THE CHAIR Chair Mr Stuart Barry 6 CEO’S REPORT Vice Chair 8 ABOUT THE TLC Ms Jennie Churchill 8 YOUR SUPPORT Board 10 MISSION 1 – PROTECTING NATURE Mr Peter Cosier Mr Peter Downie 14 MISSION 2 – LOOKING AFTER NATURE Mr Josh Geelan Ms Susan Gough 16 MISSION 3 – KNOWING NATURE Ms Erika Korosi Prof Ted Lefroy 20 OUR CONSERVATION FOOTPRINT Ms Lyn Maddock Mr Nathan Males 22 MISSION 4 – INNOVATING FOR NATURE Mr Mark Temple-Smith Mr Julian von Bibra 24 MISSION 5 – INVOLVING PEOPLE 28 MISSION 6 – LEADING FOR NATURE 31 THE TLC FOUNDATION 35 AUDITOR’S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION 36 OFFICERS’ REPORT 37 OUR COMMITMENT 38 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 42 INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT Cover: Common wombat with baby (Vombatus ursinus). Photo: Loic Le Guilly Opposite: Scaly buttons (Leptorhynchos squamatus). Photo: Andy Townsend Next page: Gordonvale Reserve. Photo: Grant Dixon OUR VISION IS FOR TASMANIA TO BE A GLOBAL LEADER IN NATURE CONSERVATION 2 Tasmanian Land Conservancy Annual Report 2016-17 Tasmanian Land Conservancy Annual Report 2016-17 3 REPORT FROM THE CHAIR I am pleased to present to you the resulted in this immensely positive member of the TLC Board, Susan Tasmanian Land Conservancy’s outcome of extending the reach of Gough. Susan has given her energy 2016–2017 Annual Report. The protected areas. and dauntless commitment to this Tasmanian Land Conservancy (TLC) organisation over many years and, has really thrived over the past year, The TLC also continues to look after while we welcome fresh perspective with much achieved through the nature, for nature, with great success; and ideas on the Board, it is always implementation of the 2016–2020 as shown through our ecological very hard to say goodbye to the highly Strategic Plan. We have bold monitoring and stewardship programs valued wisdom and insight of our ambitions, such as the identification that operate in close partnership with friends and colleagues. We are thrilled and protection of an additional the Department of Primary Industries, that Susan will continue to support 25,000 hectares of high conservation Parks, Water and Environment and the governance of the organisation value land, and we are confident private landholders. The Revolving as a member of the TLC’s Foundation that we can achieve this through Fund and New Leaf continue to Committee. partnerships and shared goals. ensure financial and ecological security on private land well beyond Finally, I wish to send a special round We have harnessed the skills, 2017. of applause to all those marvellous thoughtfulness, expertise and volunteers who contribute so much The excellence in conservation commitment of the broader in so many different ways. From my science, planning and reserve community to look for innovative fellow Board members to the keen- management that the TLC insists upon eyed folk that score thousands of ways to reach this target. The World- is the cornerstone of our success as a images of our reserves, to the tireless Class Reserve System criteria, conservation organisation. The work helpers that mail out our newsletters, developed by the TLC’s volunteer of our in-house science team, which invitations and annual reports, and act Science Council, offers a clear lens regularly collaborates with national as guides on our enormously popular through which to identify the parts of experts, is what keeps the TLC on the Discovery Days. It is due to you that Tasmania that really need protection cutting edge of conservation science the TLC presents such a dynamic and from imminent and future threats to – an achievement of which we are vital face – not just to Tasmania, but their ecological significance. We thank immensely proud. the whole world – and for that we are the Science Council and all those so very grateful. who contributed to the development The growth of the TLC Foundation of this method for the considerable is helping to achieve the financial time and effort they have spent on its sustainability and growth of the formulation. Nature Bank; enabling the TLC to respond to opportunities to The TLC has continued to work secure areas of high conservation towards protecting nature with in an efficient and timely manner. Stuart Barry the declaration of our eighteenth We sincerely thank everyone who reserve at Daisy Dell. I was lucky continues to support the TLC President – Tasmanian Land enough to attend the Discovery Day Foundation, thereby empowering us Conservancy at the Daisy Dell and Vale of Belvoir to ensure that the areas we protect reserves in February. This was a great will be managed for conservation opportunity to meet supporters forever. and TLC community members, as well as observe the synergy of the This year, we farewell and offer our Above: Stuart Barry. Photo: Matthew Newton neighbourhood partnerships that have heartfelt thanks to a long-standing Opposite: Skullbone Plains Reserve. Photo: Grant Dixon 4 Tasmanian Land Conservancy Annual Report 2016-17 Tasmanian Land Conservancy Annual Report 2016-17 5 CEO’S REPORT In the previous annual report, I The protection of King’s Run, a west WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT professed excitement at the delivery coast icon, is the third partnership OUR WORK IS RIGHT NOW, of the 2016–2020 Strategic Plan. project of its kind that we have been One year into its implementation, I involved in. With the dual goals of YET IT IS THE GENERATION am confident that my excitement was conserving Tasmanian Aboriginal OF TASMANIANS TO COME culture and natural heritage, it is well founded. The Plan’s simple but THAT WILL MEASURE OUR effective goals of protecting nature, a legacy project of which we are looking after nature, innovating for enormously proud. SUCCESS, AND I FEEL SO nature, and involving people have Another community within which the CONFIDENT THAT THE offered very clear signposts for TLC is thrilled to be operating is the prioritising and decision-making. In an WORK WE UNDERTAKE Australian Land Conservation Alliance organisation like ours that is small, yet COLLECTIVELY NOW WILL (ALCA) – a national collaboration highly ambitious, this clear articulation between conservation bodies with YIELD MANY BENEFITS IN of our strategy makes it easy to work a focus on private land. When the in the present, with a keen eye to THE FUTURE. alliance met in Melbourne in late 2016, the future. If you have not already those assembled were utterly united done so, I urge you to look at our in their sense of purpose to achieve 2016–2020 Strategic Plan online at great outcomes for conservation www.tasland.org.au/aboutus. on private land across the country. art and nature collaboration was the committed farmers of the I extend my most heartfelt thanks With these goals in mind, we have The TLC is thrilled to act as host yet again supported by the Purves Tasmanian Midlands. The TLC’s to the supporters, volunteers and had a great year working to build to the ALCA community for the Environmental Fund and Purryburry Revolving Fund, supported by the landholders with whom the TLC has strong connections within Tasmania National Private Land Conservation Trust, and for this, we are extremely Australian Government through the very great honour to work. and the national and international Conference in Hobart in October 2017. grateful. the Forest Conservation Fund, conservation communities. Nowhere We know how important our work has had an outstanding year of is this more apparent than at Daisy is right now, yet it is the generation The Big Punchbowl Reserve was the On a different note, the TLC continues sales in conservation properties to Dell, where the protection of 322 of Tasmanians to come that will site for a community gathering of a to work in the carbon economy, and new landholders who want nature hectares in a new reserve was measure our success, and I feel so different kind when the TLC hosted our sale of carbon credits continues to protection to form the cornerstone of made entirely possible by the local eighteen artists for Poets and Painters deliver a strong and reliable revenue confident that the work we undertake their lifestyle. collectively now will yield many community, immediate and close – the iconic Tasmanian arts event stream, all of which is allocated to benefits in the future. So, on behalf of neighbours, and our wonderful curated by Bett Gallery owner Carol managing our private reserves. The Through the Protected Area the TLC and all those plants, animals TLC supporters, who never fail to Bett and beloved poet Pete Hay. TLC is also exploring the development Partnership Program – which we and places we seek to protect, I step up when it is time to protect Over the course of the summer, nine of market solutions to facilitate deliver on behalf of the Department offer my profound thanks for all your irreplaceable places and the life they poets and nine painters experienced nature conservation, offering the of Primary Industries, Parks, Water support. support. The formalisation of this new the nature of the reserve, including powerful potential for achieving great and Environment (DPIPWE) – we private reserve now fits neatly within the rare event of the wetland really conservation outcomes in Tasmania, continue to work with covenant another community of protected brimming with water, then spent and indeed, Australia-wide. landholders around the state, areas in the surrounding landscape, the ensuing months creating their providing guidance, advice and including the nearby Cradle Mountain- responses. As the financial year The TLC has had another strong year support on the ground. Lake St Clair Wilderness World drew to a close, magnificent works of implementing our conservation Heritage Area and the Vale of Belvoir and nuanced words were delivered programs, including our Midlands I will finish by returning to the theme Jane Hutchinson Conservation Area, as well as the to the Bett Gallery in readiness for Above: Jane Hutchinson.