DEPI Home > Conservation & Environment > Biodiversity > Rural Landscapes > BushTender

BushTender is an auction-based approach to protecting and improving the management of native vegetation on private land. Under this system, landholders competitively tender for contracts to better protect and improve their native vegetation. Successful bids are those that offer the best value for money, with successful landholders receiving periodic payments for their management actions under agreements signed with DEPI. These actions are based on management commitments over and above those required by current obligations and legislation.

There is over three million hectares of native vegetation remaining on private land in Victoria. Much of it is of high conservation significance and is important for salinity control, water quality, land protection, greenhouse and landscape preservation. The management of native vegetation on private land is also important for the conservation of native flora and fauna because:

• 29% of Victoria’s remaining native vegetation is on private land but it supports 30% of Victoria’s threatened species “populations”
• 60% of the native vegetation remaining on private land is a threatened vegetation type (i.e. its conservation status is endangered, vulnerable or depleted).

The management of native vegetation depends on the substantial efforts of private landholders who are supported by a range of incentive and extension schemes. Additional tools are now available to support these current approaches in order to:

• increase the level of landholder participation in active native vegetation management
• target priority native vegetation in a cost-effective manner.

The map below displays the areas BushTender has covered since its inception in 2001.

Map of all BushTender areas across Victoria from 2001-20011 [PDF File - 654.0 KB]

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Summary of BushTender projects (2001 - 2011)

Year(s)	BushTender Project	Victorian Region	Area under Agreement (Hectare)	Gain accrual (HHa) over contract period
2001-2002	BushTender Trial - North East/North Central	North East & North Central	3,163	336
2003	BushTender Trial - Gippsland	Gippsland	1,684	316
2006	Southern Victoria BushTender	South West & West Gippsland	2,011	351
2007-2008	Targeted BushTender	Northern Victoria	7,130	1,141
2008	BushTender South West	South West	2,800	395
2009	BushTender North West	North West	2,822	375
2009	BushTender Northern Plains	Northern	2,143	547
2010	BushTender North Central	Central	1,955	300
2010	BushTender Goulburn Broken	Goulburn Broken	2,203	390
2011	BushTender Central Victoria	Central Victoria	2,253	279
2011	BushTender North East	North East	2,036	271
2011	BushTender Mega Murray 1	West of Dimboola	590	330
2011	BushTender Mega Murray 2	Mallee	2,549	432
2011	BushTender Avoca Plains	Avoca Plains	in progress	in progress
2012	BushTender Grassy Woodlands	North of Epping	in progress	in progress
2012	BushTender Western Grassland Reserves	Western Grassland Reserve	in progress	in progress
	Totals		33,339	5,463

* BushTender round under negotiation
HHa = Habitat Hectare

For more detail on each Tender please visit our BushTender Past Projects web page.

Assistance with BushTender projects
Organisations contemplating running an auction-based project for natural resource management outcomes can obtain advice from DEPI - Ecosystem Services Branch on these matters. Contact DEPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

Other market based incentives include BushBroker and EcoTender (through the ecoMarkets program).

The BushTender approach is primarily about improving the management of existing patches of native vegetation on private land. Read more about Native Vegetation Information for Victoria.

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