Steinfeld, Warooka and Mount Bryan East, SA

South Australia’s biodiversity is in trouble. Native vegetation is vanishing, waterholes are drying, and some ecosystems are teetering on the edge. But amidst this decline, people like Mark Metcalf are holding the line.

Mark has three Heritage Agreements – voluntary legal agreements that protect nature on private land forever – on his properties near Steinfeld, Warooka, and Mount Bryan East.

As a landholder, Mark feels a deep responsibility for the land. His empathy for nature, he says, comes from personal experience. “I struggled at school,” he explains. “And that made me identify with the underdog. Nature’s the underdog now—I want to give it a chance.”

“I feel mixed emotions when I look around,” he says. “Looking after it gives me purpose. It helps my mental health. But I do notice changes happening and it’s hard to watch, but I’m hopeful that we can turn things around.”

He bought the Mount Bryan East property specifically to help protect critically endangered iron-grass native grasslands. When healthy, these are full of grasses, wildflowers, orchids, lilies, and herbs—which help hold soil together, support healthy grazing, and make the land more resilient to drought and climate extremes. Once widespread, less than 5,000 hectares remain—a loss of over 95%.

His land is home to some other special plants and animals including Malleefowl, the Peep Hill hop-bush, a giant earthworm that’s currently awaiting classification. And though he’s never seen one, he’s holding out hope for a glimpse of the elusive Adelaide pygmy blue-tongue skink. These shy skinks live in abandoned spider burrows. Once thought extinct, they’re now considered critically endangered, and have only been found at about 30 small native grassland sites, all on private land.

“They’ve been seen nearby, so I’m waiting for the day.”

Mark’s Steinfeld Heritage Agreement

Mark’s Warooka Heritage Agreement

South Australia’s Heritage Agreement Program, launched in 1980, allows landholders to permanently protect important ecological features on their land. Today, more than 1,600 Heritage Agreements safeguard over 1 million hectares—around 1% of the state. These agreements form a vital part of South Australia’s broader protected area network, which covers 30% of the state.

But it’s not just about hitting a number. Lasting conservation means protecting a full range of ecosystems and species in areas big and healthy enough to support them.

That’s where private land conservation steps in. It fills gaps in the landscape, protects species found nowhere else, and connects fragmented habitats—especially in areas dominated by farming and grazing.

Whilst there’s been a recent uplift in funding for private land conservation in SA, there is no guarantee at this stage that it will continue into the next term of state government.

“We need to be protecting what’s left of our remnant vegetation,” says Mark. “Managing conservation properties isn’t a set and forget thing, it takes ongoing work, and we need more people doing it.”

This isn’t just about protecting wildlife. A healthy environment is economically essential. Around $70 billion in Soth Australia’s economic activity and $11 billion in exports depend on it. Research shows that targeted support for conservation on private land delivers measurable outcomes for threatened species and ecological communities.

Mark puts it simply:

“Investing in private land conservation is good for the Government. It’s a cost-effective way to help meet Australia’s 30 by 30 target and give nature a fighting chance.

Image: The Peep Hill hop-bush is listed as nationally endangered