Sustainable land management grants and incentives

Environmental Works Grants Program

We provide a financial incentive to rural landowners for projects that support sustainable land management practices, especially protecting and enhancing remnant vegetation, through our Environmental Works Grants Program.

You can apply for funds for a range of environmental projects including:

fencing areas of remnant vegetation, including paddock trees to exclude livestock
revegetation works which:

complement remnant vegetation on private properties or in road reserves
link or strengthen significant habitat areas or corridors
are required in a Land Management Plan
stabilise salinity recharge areas through native revegetation

works to help control/manage minor erosion
environmental weed control in good quality native vegetation, in association with other vegetation protection measures such as revegetation and fencing to exclude stock

Note: Waterway revegetation projects are given low priority for funding under this program because assistance is available through Melbourne Water’s Stream Frontage Management Program.

Eligible properties

To be eligible, your property must be:

located within the City of Whittlesea
2 hectares or greater in size
zoned for rural purposes (Green Wedge Zone, Green Wedge A Zone, Rural Conservation Zone)

Properties zoned and/or designated for future residential, industrial or commercial developments are not eligible under this program.

Applications for the 2021 Environmental Works Grant Program closed on 30 November 2020.

Application Guidelines

The application guidelines are available to download and include information on the types of activities we will fund, the amount of funding available, and how we will assess applications.

Sustainable Land Management Rebate Scheme

We provide eligible rural landowners with a rate rebate to encourage responsible land management.

Our Sustainable Land Management Rebate Scheme is an incentive to carry out and/or maintain land management works that will:

improve the quality of land and water resources
maintain or enhance local biodiversity
address land degradation issues such as weeds, pest animals and erosion

*This scheme is currently closed for applications.

Rebate amount

For properties 50 hectares (approximately 124 acres) or greater in size, the rebate is 30 per cent of the general rate/farm rate payable on the property.
For properties 8 hectares (approximately 20 acres) or greater but less than 50 hectares in size, the rebate is 20 per cent of the general rate/farm rate payable on the property.

Eligible properties

To be eligible, your property must be:

At least 50 per cent of your property's area must be in a Green Wedge, Rural Conservation or Green Wedge A Zone. Properties partly within any of these zones are only eligible when the area of the property within the zone is 8 hectares or greater, and when the zone covers the majority of the property. Find out which zone you are in through the Land Channel's online map or call us on 9217 2323.
8 hectares or greater in size, or be a collection of land parcels at least equal to the minimum size, which are in one ownership and next to each other.
Operated for commercial primary production (for example, registered primary producers), or managed as hobby/lifestyle farms or for environmental purposes (for example, bush blocks).

Further information

Phone: 9217 2323
Email

Our officers also offer rural property owners free on-site advice, and hold free land management field days throughout the year (advertised in the local press and community newsletters).