The Australian Land Conservation Alliance’s annual Private Land Conservation conference (PLC24) is the country’s premier land conservation event, and a crucial forum for discussions and insights into what’s needed to halt and reverse nature loss.
The 2024 Conference was the biggest yet. Over 400 people came together under the theme of “Nature Now” to showcase world-leading examples of on-ground nature action, and to explore what’s needed to scale nature investment and action as we work towards a net zero, nature positive future.
Held alongside the world-first Global Nature Positive Summit, PLC24 helped to elevate private land conservation in national and international discussions, and took the high-level policy and finance talks from the Summit, to ground them in real, actionable steps that will help realise national ambition for a healthy, prosperous, resilient future for all Australians.
The Nature Conservancy - Michael Looker
GreenCollar
Bush Heritage Australia
Nature Foundation - Douglas Ransom
PLC24
Highlights
Minister for the Environment and Water The Hon Tanya Plibersek released the National Roadmap for Protecting and Conserving 30 per cent of Australia’s Land by 2030. The Roadmap recognises the important contribution of private landholders and conservancies and will inform an investment strategy for the nature repair market. The Minister indicated that together with a method for permanent protection, the investment strategy will help channel investment towards projects that will help meet a 30 by 30 target that is comprehensive, adequate, and representative.
Unpacking the Global Nature Positive Summit
Global and national conservation leaders interrogated the Summit’s contributions to driving action and investment into conservation, restoration and land management, and reflected that whilst the Summit was a good start, we need to pull as many levers as possible, with urgency. There were calls for better funding, embedding Indigenous and community knowledge and involvement, and blended finance for both nature and climate goals. Panellists reflected that the Government does best when it doesn’t pretend it has all the answers and listens to innovative ideas that might initially feel uncomfortable. We heard that there is no lack of money for the transition we need, but we need to do it with integrity, and speed; which sparked essential discussions on the opportunities for Australia to position itself as a global conservation leader.
“When one nation steps back, others must come forward.” – Gary Tabor, CEO, Center for Large Landscape Conservation
Leaning into leadership potential
The need for leadership was a consistent theme. We heard that industry and business must go beyond what’s required by legislation, or customer demand, and play a genuine leadership role when it comes to putting nature on the agenda. We also heard that landholder leadership is driving significant expansion of private land conservation uptake and this is poised to scale up immensely – if enabled with the right policy settings and investment.
Another clear message coming through both the Summit, and PLC24, was the critical role of First Nations leadership. Again and again we saw powerful examples of what can be achieved for nature and people when First Nations peoples and communities are empowered to lead. Throughout the conference, First Nations land managers, finance experts, and researchers indicated that to see this leadership grow, we need to do things differently; we need to move beyond the fear of failure – to not let “perfect” get in the way of “better”. We heard that First Nations should, rightfully, be seen as rightsholders not stakeholders, that successful partnerships must be built from trusted relationships, and that positive intent must translate to doing the hard work on the ground.
“We have to go at the pace of trust.” – Jamie Woods, Nari Nari Tribal Council
Accelerating nature investment
Accelerating nature investment and bridging the mammoth nature finance gap is a non-negotiable. PLC24 analysed the progress of environmental markets, the lessons of the carbon market, and highlighted current cases where markets are leveraging private investment and driving real outcomes.
There was robust discussion about the need to integrate nature-based solutions into corporate investment strategies, and how we cannot address the climate crisis without this. Corporate investment in nature-based solutions is growing, but there are challenges around regulatory frameworks and scaling up projects. Nature must be understood as is an investment class, and there is a need for consistent, aggregatable metrics to value nature's services. Emphasis was placed on the need for protecting existing natural assets, before restoration, and developing financial models that recognize and fund these efforts, especially for landholders.
As a formal side event to the Global Nature Positive Summit, ALCA hosted an investment-focused breakfast to showcase our sector’s proud history of delivering high-integrity, high-quality projects, with investment partners. Bush Heritage Australia, Bupa, Nari Nari Tribal Council, FEAT, GreenCollar, and INPEX Australia shared powerful examples of what investing in nature looks like today and discussed how these approaches can be replicated and scaled. ALCA also released Nature Now: Why Investing in Nature Can’t Wait, a report highlighting mechanisms for scaling private land conservation and recommendations for government, the private sector, and philanthropy to boost investment in nature action.
Final takeaways
The ALCA Conference is a critical platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas. It continues to seed collaborations and partnerships that are redefining nature opportunity and shaping the future of nature action.
What is clear, is that at the heart of a healthy, prosperous and resilient Australia lies a fundamental truth: we must protect and look after what nature we have left, and work to restore what’s been lost. Private land conservation must be scaled up as a cornerstone of nature and climate action: it is an essential strategy for safeguarding Australia’s environmental, economic, cultural and social well-being.
“There’s no time to wait and no excuses not to act.” – Jody Gunn, CEO, Australian Land Conservation Alliance
Where to Next
The essential role conferences play in sector development cannot be overstated. By bringing together thought leaders, innovators, and practitioners, ALCA’s annual conference sparks innovation and collaboration, helps drive policy change, and shapes the direction of nature action.
As we look ahead to 2030, ALCA has made major advancements to our future conference strategy, culminating in a successful bid to co-host the International Land Conservation Network’s (ILCN) Global Congress in Melbourne in 2027.
Bringing the congress to Australia will build and strengthen international partnerships and knowledge, and advance global conservation efforts.
Download our PLC24 Conference Reflections report for more highlights, and attendance and engagement data.
Be a part of the journey
PLC25 will be held in Cairns, 7-10th October 2025. To discuss partnership and sponsorship opportunities for PLC25 or beyond, please contact Phoebe Pace, Events and Membership Manager: 0403 143 173 or phoebe@alca.org.au
About the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA)
The Australian Land Conservation Alliance is the peak national body representing organisations that protect, steward and restore nature on privately managed land. ALCA supports its members to scale their impact for people and nature through: sector development, advocating for good policy and regulation, driving nature investment, and building an Australian community that understands and values the role of nature. Together, we are a growing force for nature.
ALCA is grateful for the ongoing support from its multi-year funding partners, whose long-term commitments bolster ALCA's organisational capacity. This support enables ALCA to pursue its goal to grow a diverse, highly capable and well-resourced sector dedicated to safeguarding and restoring Australia's privately managed land and water – thereby combating nature loss and fostering a healthier, more resilient Australia. Convening an annual conference and delivering it in a way that is inclusive for all is just one way that ALCA works towards achieving this goal.
