Current Projects

On this page: | Expression of Interest | Benefits of BushTender | Information sheets

BushTender - Expressions of Interest are closing at 5pm on Friday 2nd of March 2012

An opportunity for landholders across the lower reaches of the Avoca and Loddon Rivers to generate an alternative income through improved native vegetation management and benefit to the environment at the same time.

Approximately one million dollars is available for landholder payments with the current BushTender bidding round. Places are limited, so be quick and register early.

Landholders across the area covering the lower reaches of the Avoca and Loddon Rivers can register for BushTender by calling the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Customer Service Centre on 136 186 or email customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au.

BushTender Avoca Plains Victorian location map

BushTender Avoca Plains Victorian location map [PDF File - 369.4 KB]

For more detail please see the map below.

BushTender Avoca Plains location map

[PDF File - 53.0 KB]

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Benefits of BushTender

BushTender allows landholders to nominate their own price in a competitive tender in return for providing services to better protect and improve their native vegetation.

The approach provides landholders with the freedom to choose management commitments that suit their individual circumstances. Participants may agree to a range of actions including fencing of native vegetation to exclude stock, weed and pest animal control and supplementary planting of native understorey.

The price is submitted as a bid. Successful bids are not necessarily the cheapest bids but those that offer the 'best value for money' in terms of native vegetation outcomes. Successful landholders receive periodic payments under management agreements for the five year period.

All landholders who register an Expression of Interest will be contacted by the BushTender Regional Implementation Manager to arrange an obligation-free site visit. The purpose of the site visit is to assess the significance and quality of the native vegetation on the property and discuss potential management commitments with the landholder. The field officer will help the landholder prepare an agreed management plan as the basis of the landholder’s bid.

Landholders have the option of a five-year fixed term management agreement or a five-year fixed term management agreement with an on title permanent agreement.

All bids are assessed on the basis of the current conservation significance of the site, the estimated improvement in vegetation condition and security resulting from the agreed landholder actions and the cost.

BushTender Avoca Plains brochure [PDF File - 1.2 MB]

BushTender benefits the landholder, the environment and the Victorian public.

For the landholder:

Freedom to tailor a bid to suit their individual circumstances
Opportunity to generate a regular and reliable income stream from their native vegetation
Flexibility to choose the management commitments that best suit their needs
Longer-term benefits in land health from improved native vegetation.

For the environment and the Victorian public:

Improving the amount and quality of native vegetation leading to improved catchment health
Native vegetation outcomes are targeted and secured in a cost-effective manner
Increased level of landholder participation in active native vegetation management.

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Information sheets

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Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.