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Millions of hectares of Australian bushland equivalent to the size of New Zealand will soon be protected under a $250 million budget commitment aimed at meeting the government’s goal to conserve 30 per cent of the nation’s land.

About 30 million hectares of land will gain protected status over the next five years, with the federal government partnering with state and territories, private landholders and First Nations groups on conservation projects.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek told the ABC the cash injection would enable Australia to reach its commitment of conserving 30 per cent of land areas by 2030.

“We know that Australians love their natural environment. They love camping and bushwalking and surfing and swimming and fishing, they love being in the Australian bush,” Ms Plibersek said.

“We’ve already added an area around the size of New Zealand to area under conservation in Australia.

“This extra 30 million hectares by 2030 will add another New Zealand to the area of conserved land for Australia.”

The funding would expand existing conservation projects, which include partnerships with philanthropic organisations, state and local governments, and establish new Indigenous Protected Areas.

In 2022, Australia signed up to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in Canada, which has a target of protecting at least 30 per cent of land and 30 per cent of our oceans by the end of the decade.

The international agreement was adopted as part of a global strategy to prevent and reverse biodiversity loss.

Australia has reached 52 per cent protection of ocean territory as marine parks, which Ms Plibersek says exceeds the international oceans goal.

But this claim is contested by scientists who argue marine park zones are not fully protected from all activity and that the accurate figure is about 25 per cent.

The most recent official record for protected landmass was 22 per cent.

Ms Plibersek said Labor had increased that figure to about 26 per cent since being elected in 2022, although some reserves and projects were yet to be officially declared.

Conservationists, including Bush Heritage Australia, have welcomed the announcement, but the organisation’s chief executive, Rachel Lowry, told the ABC it wasn’t enough.

“It’s a really welcome step in the right direction. If we’re going to as a nation, honour our commitment to protecting 30 per cent of our landscapes, then we need a fund like this to get us started,” Ms Lowry said.

“It’s going to take a lot more than a $250 million fund to meet the 30 per cent protection target, but it’s a start.”

The additional funding is just a fraction of the $5 billion green fund the conservation sector proposed in 2023.

Ms Plibersek argued the Commonwealth investment would complement state and territory government programs, leverage private investment and attract philanthropic organisations.

Jody Gunn, the chief executive of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance, said private landholders can play a major role.

“This is a critical start to safeguard nature for future generations, we have to protect what’s left. It’s a biodiversity and economic imperative,” Ms Gunn said.

“More than half of Australia is privately managed … [and] it is home to more than half of Australia’s threatened species, so it’s an absolutely vital mechanism for protecting nature.”

Read the full article on ABC.