BushTender Trials
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Two trials of the BushTender approach have been completed. The first was undertaken in selected areas of North East/North Central Victoria between late 2001 and early 2002, and the second in selected areas of Gippsland between late 2002 and early 2003.
Under these trials, over 4800 hectares of native vegetation was secured under management agreements with landholders, resulting in the accrual of 633 habitat hectares towards the Government’s native vegetation net gain target. A total of $1.2 million was allocated to landholder payments under the trials.
North Central / North East Trial
The first BushTender Trial was conducted during 2001/02 in two areas of the State - in the north central region between Bendigo and Ballarat and in the north east between Wangaratta and Wodonga.
The North Central / North East Trial Areas
Refer to the following map to view the 200 trial areas:
North Central / North East BushTender trial area maps (DOC - 65 KB)
Results from the North Central / North East trial
All bids were assessed in February 2002 on the basis of the current conservation value of the site, the amount of habitat service offered by the landholder and the cost of the landholder bid. Nearly 3,200 ha of significant native vegetation was secured for protection and improved management under three-year BushTender Management Agreements.
In total, 98 landholders tendered 148 bids covering 186 sites. Of these, 73 landholders and 97 bids were successful. Approximately $400,000 was allocated to successful bidders on the basis of "best value for money".
Biodiversity priorities were successfully identified and secured through the site assessment and bidding process with the majority of successful sites being of very high or high conservation significance. Departmental field officers also recorded 24 new populations of rare or threatened plant species on offered sites.
A survey conducted by an independent research company on behalf of the Department during the Trial showed that a large proportion of participants rated the approach and process highly. A majority of other rural landholders surveyed in the trial areas indicated that they considered the BushTender scheme was 'a good idea'.
The market survey also indicated that both the Trial participants and the successful participants represented a typical cross-section of landholders in the regions both in terms of property size and on-property/off-property income.
Probity Report
The independent consultants PSI Pty Ltd were retained to advise and report on probity aspects of the tendering phase of the North Central / North East Trial. The Probity Report includes their review of the tendering process:
Probity report (PDF - 125 KB)
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Gippsland Trial
In June 2002 the BushTender Trial was extended to parts of Gippsland, namely Trafalgar, Bairnsdale East and Buchan-Snowy.
The Gippsland Trial Areas
Refer to the following maps to view the 2002 trial areas:
Bairnsdale (PDF - 128 KB) Trafalgar (PDF - 178 KB) Buchan Snowy (PDF - 133 KB)
Results from the Gippsland Trial
In total 73 bids were received from 51 landholders (some landholders bid separately on each of their sites). 33 successful landholders signed management agreements with DSE. Approximately $800,000 was allocated to successful bidders on the basis of "best value for money".
Management agreement periods of 3 or 6 years were offered to landholders in the Gippsland trial areas, with the further option of 10 year protection or permanent covenants following the management agreement period. Of the successful bids, all but one opted for at least a 6 year management agreement period, with almost half of all bids committing to further protection.
In total, 1,684 ha of vegetation was protected under BushTender management agreements in the Gippsland trial. Approximately half of that area is vegetation that is considered to be of high or very high conservation significance.
Newsletters
Newsletter 1 (PDF - 196 KB) Newsletter 2 (PDF - 215 KB) Newsletter 3 (PDF - 2.2 MB)
Probity
The independent consultants PSI Pty Ltd were retained to advise and report on probity aspects of the tendering phase of the Gippsland trial. The probity report includes their review of the tendering process:
Probity report (PDF - 38 KB)
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Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe web site.
