The Protected Areas on Private Lands Program is a partnership between the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers, The Australian Bush Heritage Fund and the Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment. The program has a track record of successfully negotiating voluntary partnership to conserve important non-forest vegetation communities around the State.

Even though large areas of Tasmania are protected in public reserves, there are many species, vegetation communities, habitat types and landforms that are not well reserved. Many of these occur on private land.

The Protected Areas on Private Land Program is funded through the Natural Heritage Trust. The aim of the Program is to promote and facilitate voluntary conservation agreements between the Tasmanian Government and private landowners who have important natural values on their properties. The Prgram provides management assistance and a range of incentives to landowners who enter into formal conservation agreements. Conservation agreements can be used to protect native wildlife, bushland, wetland, grassland, caves, rock formations or other natural values.

Three types of voluntary conservation agreement can be negotiated through the Protected Areas on Private Land Program: conservation cvenants, management agreements, and private reserves.

By January 2003, the Protected Areas on Private Land Program had 45 covenants registered and signed and a further 3 awaiting signing. A further 38 requests for covenants had been received.