Our Stories
Working with Wool Growers to Protect an Endangered Bird
Here, our inaugural recipients reflect on their progress so far and share what they hope to achieve in the future.
One of the most endangered birds in Australia, the Plains-wanderer has lost 90% of its natural habitat due to land clearing. With remaining populations restricted to small areas in southeastern Australia and mainly on private properties, the unique bird's future rests largely in the hands of landholders—which is where Trust for Nature comes in.
Established for more than 50 years, Trust for Nature is an organisation working to permanently protect habitat on private land. In 2023, the organisation received a Climate Fund grant of $200,000 to establish a conservation covenant to protect Plains-wanderer habitat while maintaining an economical business for wool growers.
Since then, Trust for Nature has partnered with Bear & Twigg, a family-run wool farm in northern Victoria, to covenant 76 hectares of their native grassland, meaning it will be protected forever.
Located on around 4,000 hectares of land on Barapa Barapa Country, the Bear family farm comprises natural grasslands, lignum swamp, black box and red gum trees. Jo Bear and her husband Greg were introduced to Trust for Nature more than 15 years ago, learning from the organisation about grasslands and how farming and conservation can not only co-exist, but improve outcomes for both agriculture and wildlife. Since then, they have been focused on restoring the property's floodplains, while working with Traditional Owners to plant trees and vegetation.
“In that time, we grazed some of the Trust for Nature land with our sheep to build habitat for the Plains-wanderer,” explains Jo.
We were very excited when Trust for Nature approached us about the Country Road Climate Fund with the opportunity to create a covenant on an area that is one of our most pristine patches of grassland.
“The area hosted a wide variety of native fauna already and we were keen to develop it into habitat for the Plains-wanderer. It was also great to receive funding to help us navigate the cost of a covenant and to build financial resilience into the area. It means that we can be diligent on threats to the grasslands and the Plains-wanderer such as pests and predators.”
Corinne Proske, Trust for Nature's CEO, says that the Plains-wanderer is one of the most endangered birds in Australia and has global significance. “It is incredibly unique, and ranked fourth in the world on a list of 9,993 bird species we can least afford to lose because of their evolutionary distinctness.” A ground-dweller in arid grasslands, the Plains-wanderer is also known as the 'Goldilocks' bird due to its highly specific habitat preferences: sparse, treeless, species-rich areas with lowland native grasses and some bare ground.
“We had good reason to believe Plains-wanderers were present in the area surrounding the Bears' farm as we had records from nearby. The intact grasslands of the Bears' property, coupled with their amazing attitude toward the natural environment, made it an ideal location for protection.”
“Knowing that we had such willing and able land managers on board meant we could be confident the grasslands could be stewarded responsibly and adaptively into the future. Thus we knew we were investing in a bright future for the Plains-wanderer in the Loddon Shire.”
Jo says farming for conservation is about diversity and appreciating what you have.
Seeing natural fauna or flora that we have never seen before gives us encouragement and the motivation to continue focusing on the soil and the native grasses—and to remind us that often it is the little things that give you most pleasure.
“The beauty with our natural grazing philosophy and low input system is that we build our native grasslands and natural capital by sheep grazing and rest between grazings. So this covenant which still allows grazing has little day-to-day impact on our farming practices. We also want to learn more about improving the habitat for the Plains-wanderer, not only in this paddock but in surrounding paddocks. We have more to learn about this little bird and how we can build the population.”
In addition to the benefits the Bears are experiencing on their farm, Corinne says the Climate Fund grant has had positive flow-on effects, including allowing Trust for Nature to promote the importance of grasslands protection and the benefits of on-farm biodiversity.
18 months on, the project's significance has inspired additional investments for Trust for Nature, allowing the organisation to permanently protect 650 hectares of grassland.
“Brands such as Country Road participating in these types of projects are incredible to help build awareness about our organisation and our work, and about conservation work more broadly. It also sets a strong example for other fashion brands to follow suit, which can build momentum and maximise impact for the environment and sustainability. We hope to be able to encourage more farmers to permanently protect remnant vegetation.”
Jo says that the three-way partnership demonstrates that different organisations or businesses can work together to achieve common goals.
This is very exciting and models what future work can be done. A farm business, fashion business and environmental group all working together. Building sustainability is crucial for all and we all need to work together.
Each year, we fund grassroots projects that mitigate climate change and build climate resilience across four key pillars.
