With approximately 62% of Victoria’s land privately owned, private landowners play an essential role in the state’s conservation future.
Right across the state, such landowners are choosing to make an environmental impact with their land by participating in the Victorian Government’s BushBank Program, supporting restoration projects on private properties.
The 2026 Mid-Year Update is here to keep you informed on all the progress on the BushBank Private Land Stream, delivered by Cassinia Environmental.
Here are some of the key statistics reported:
- 6,257 ha actively being restored through planting, seeding or management changes
- 1,393 ha permanently protected by Trust for Nature conservation covenants
- $11.99 million secured in co-funding from partner organisations
- 25 signed landowner agreements
- 27% of seed/seedling contracts awarded to First Nation suppliers
Perhaps most notably, 10,962 hectares of the BushBank’s 20,000 hectare restoration target have now been secured. That’s 27,000 acres of degraded or cleared land across Victoria which is being restored to provide habitat for species such as the Malleefowl, Powerful Owl and Southern Brown Bandicoot.
Thank you to the team of project partners that continue to make this work possible, including Trust for Nature, Land Life, Greenfleet, Greening Australia, OneTreePlanted, NRCT, Vegetation Link and of course to every landowner who has made the commitment to restoring and protecting their land for nature.
You can view or download the Mid-Year Update below.
To showcase these achievements and give landowners the chance to connect with the work, Cassinia is hosting the Spring into BushBank! Event series this spring.
Locals are invited to attend an online session or field day, where they’ll witness revegetation efforts in progress, hear from the landowners on their successes and challenges and understand how properties-level restoration supports biodiversity.
The upcoming event schedule:
- BushBank 101: Landowner Discovery Webinar (Thursday, September 24th)
- Upotipotpon Walk & Talk (Saturday, October 3rd)
- Newham Walk & Talk (Friday, October 16th)
- Wooragee Walk & Talk (Saturday, November 7th)
“We’ve seen landowners from all backgrounds and conservational experience jump on board. The similarity between these people is their shared passion to see Victoria’s wildlife and natural world protected.” says Krista Patterson-Majoor, BushBank’s Program Manager. “While we’ve made substantial progress, achieving our ambitious target is going to rely on more landowners willing to contribute.”
Landowners interested in participating in the BushBank Program or attending the upcoming Spring Intro BushBank! Event series can find out more at cassinia.com/bushbank.
The next round for Expression of Interest submissions closes on 30 November 2026.
