Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the private land conservation forum for landholder's, facilitated by Our Natural Legacy, Australian Land Conservation Alliance, NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust, and Trust for Nature.
I felt so honoured to have been able to attend this conference in-person, and for the valuable knowledge and insights that I was able to gain from the conversations over the course of the day. I was also deeply moved at being in a room filled with so many diverse and likeminded people, and excited for my role in moving climate and nature-positive initiatives forward in Australia.

My key takeaways from the conference
Nature-positive initiatives are no longer an ethical priority, they are a business priority. With the introduction of new legislation mandating climate-related reporting for thousands of businesses in Australia, those that aren't already preparing and thinking about how to lessen their impact on nature and climate will face significant hurdles as they scramble to adapt to legislative changes
Funding is available for land and biodiversity conservation initiatives; however, there is a lack of knowledge around how farmers and landholders can access this funding (typically accessed via grants or partnerships/collaborations with local landcare and conservation groups)
Farmers and landholders find the process of navigating nature and climate information complex and confusing, and accessing finance to undertake these projects is typically perceived as one of the biggest barriers
It is very clear that progress can only be made through genuine collaboration rather than competition
Land covenants present a significant opportunity for large-scale and permanent land / biodiversity protection efforts in Australia; however, there are challenges. One of the largest barriers to overcome with conservation covenants is that land value (through the eyes of banks) is not tied to environmental health, rather it is tied to profitability and productivity. Land that is cleared and able to support agricultural activities (i.e. grazing, cropping), is valued higher than land with conservation covenants on them
Physical connectivity of landscapes is vital to supporting ecosystem health and biodiversity. In agricultural landscapes, the opportunities include joining of shelterbelts and riparian buffer zones, planting native trees and bushes, improving farm dams, fencing off and restoring vegetation along riverbanks etc
Agricultural productivity and land/biodiversity conservation can happily coexist. Further to this, the two can be highly symbiotic and beneficial to one another and we saw numerous examples / case studies demonstrating this
Involvement of younger generations in land management, conservation practices, and decision making is vital to driving long term change
There is a lack of farmer / landholder connection between land regeneration and climate resilience. If we want to drive meaningful change, we need to set examples around what good looks like and communicate the benefits to a broader audience
A connection to nature is vital for mental health
Many farmers and landholders are interested in exploring carbon markets, however, navigating the information is challenging and there is a perception that people may be 'in it for the wrong reasons'
Farmers and landowners need to be better incentivised to incorporate land and biodiversity conservation initiatives. This could come in numerous forms including reduced land taxes, higher value of natural capital, innovative planning schemes, and revenue through carbon and nature-repair markets
Embracing traditional ecological knowledge and practices such as conservation grazing, cultural burning and cultural safety presents a significant opportunity for improving and maintaining land health
There was something poetic in hearing from indigenous leaders about cultural burning practices. The belief of being one with nature, walking with the fire, connecting with and working with the wind, engaging in slow burns to allow animals to escape safely, and building meaningful community connections during slow burns - I imagine there is a lot that farmers and landowners could learn from this
Favourite quotes from the day
"Look after the land and rivers, and the land and rivers will look after you"
"We need to meet people and support them wherever they are in their journey - we must walk with them."
"Nature-positive initiatives are no longer an ethical priority, they are a business priority"
“We don’t own the land. Our names are on the title, but we are just the custodians”

Ebony Greaves
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, SEAOAK Consulting
+61 412 103 291

Ebony is a highly experienced business and technology strategist who is passionate about working with clients in the agriculture sector to improve farm profitability, productivity and resilience through nature-based strategies. Ebony is also passionate about developing nature-based climate resilience and adaptation solutions for regional, remote and rural communities.
Key competencies and areas of interest
Agribusiness
Nature-based Solutions
Organisational resilience
Climate risk, adaptation and mitigation
Carbon and nature-repair projects
Social / behavioural drivers and influences
Stakeholder engagement and strategy
Business and technology advisory
Sustainability and decarbonisation strategy
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