Introduction

This chapter begins by outlining the rise of interest that private land is receiving as a land tenure for pursuing conservation. We outline the need to understand how private land conservation practices are being undertaken in the dynamic context of rural-amenity landscapes. We set up the idea notion of ‘conservation practice’ as something undertaken by humans and nonhumans in concert, rather than a solely human endeavour. We focus our attention on the agency of plants as part of conservation practice. This chapter introduces rural-amenity landscapes as a vital context in which to explore conservation practice, detailing the hinterland regions of Melbourne, Australia as a case study. We conclude by introducing the chapter topics: private property relations, experiential learning, landscape legacy, conservation covenants and market-based instruments.