Conservation tenders or ‘auctions’ fund conservation works on private land where there is little incentive for land managers to undertake the works privately. Conservation tenders target environmental outcomes such as vegetation management, erosion control, biodiversity protection, water quality, water environmental flows, salinity, and carbon sequestration. Sophisticated applications of conservation tenders can target multiple environmental objectives, for example erosion control and water quality simultaneously.

Land managers are invited to submit bids to undertake conservation works on their property. For example, land managers may change the dominant land use to a conservation purpose and undertake positive on-ground actions such as revegetation, weeds management or stream-bank rehabilitation. Bids are assessed, ranked and funded based on value for money. Formal agreements between the funder and the land manager are then established.

Conservation tenders are emerging as a common tool for regional bodies to secure natural resource management (NRM) outcomes. The following case studies demonstrate the significant potential of well-designed tender mechanisms to enhance NRM outcomes.

• The Tasmanian Forest Conservation Fund (FCF) was designed to enhance the protection of forest ecosystems in Tasmania. A private-sector third-party consortium is delivering the program.
• Onkaparinga Catchment Care was designed to achieve multiple outcomes from changes in land management. This tender is run by a regional NRM body.
• EcoTender was designed to deliver multiple environmental outcomes associated with enhanced management of native vegetation. This program is run by the Victorian Government
• The Desert Uplands Landscape Linkage Auction in Queensland was designed to achieve complementary bids from land managers to establish a landscape corridor. This program is run by a regional NRM groups.