Meeting papers

8. ELIGIBILITY TYPE
LfW is a private land conservation program designed to assist landholders with the management of
their properties for nature conservation outcomes. To achieve nature conservation on a landscape
scale, many landholders need to be involved. Hence, the eligibility to join LfW is broad to encourage
a diversity of landholders and property types. LfWSEQ aims to balance a broad eligibility with
resilient resourcing to ensure that LfWSEQ members receive high-quality services well into the
future.

8.1 Property Type
Most LfWSEQ properties are private freehold properties owned and managed by individual
landholders. In addition to private freehold land, the LfW program can accept other property types
into the program including leasehold land, land owned/managed by body corporates and land with
exclusive-use native title.

Public (community-owned) lands that are owned and/or managed by government authorities may
also be eligible. Examples of these properties include, but are not limited to, schools, environmental
education centres, cemeteries, parks, defence training facilities, water reservoirs and road reserves.

Properties owned by a council can also be accepted into LfWSEQ if a community group is actively
managing the reserve, and the LfW registration acts as recognition of the community effort, rather
than a self-assessment process for a council. Through the registration of council land with LfW, the
program can provide support and recognition to community bushcare groups/members working on
council land for conservation purposes. The registration of council land with LfW is at the discretion
of the council in alignment with council policies and the Eligibility Criteria (Section 9).

Properties with commercial activities are also eligible to join LfW. Examples of these properties
include, but are not limited to, pastoral properties, dairy farms, agricultural farms, tourist resorts,
vineyards, golf courses and private educational facilities such as tertiary colleges.

8.2 Landholder Type
There are two broad types of LfWSEQ members:
   • Individual Landholders - Owners of private land.
   • Corporate Landholders - Authorised representatives that are responsible for the property,
       such as a school principal, vineyard manager or golf course owner.


8.3 Group Registrations
In the past, the LfWSEQ program accepted applications from collectives of adjoining landholders to
form a LfW Group. These LfW Group Registrations spanned several landholders and several property
parcels. LfW Groups aimed to provide nature conservation advice and support to owners of small
properties that individually did not meet the LfWSEQ program’s Habitat Size Eligibility Criteria.

In 2021, the LfWSEQ Steering Committee agreed to no longer undertake LfW Group Registrations for
the following reasons:
    • LfW Groups are usually driven by one key individual and when that individual leaves or sells
         their property, the LfW Group struggles.




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