What is The Nature Repair Market

“We repeat what we don’t repair.”

Since European settlement, Australia’s landscapes have been reshaped in ways that have led to widespread land degradation and irreversible loss of native flora and fauna species. More than 40% of the nation’s native forests and woodlands – an area seventeen times the size of Germany – have been cleared! In some cases, this means that entire ecosystems have been erased, replaced by towns, cities, and agricultural land. Over the years and as developments surged, Australia’s precious biodiversity slipped into crisis.

With one of the highest rates of biodiversity loss in the world, Australia has lost more native mammals than any other country, while threatened bird species have vanished from two-thirds of the continent. Our National Threatened Species list exceeds 2,000 species, and invasive plant species outnumber native species.

Our environment, once abundant and resilient, is now often described as “poor and deteriorating”.

These losses are an environmental tragedy but they are also a call to action. The state of Australia’s ecosystems – both unique and fragile demands a renewed focus on repair and restoration.

If history has shown us anything, it’s that without repair, the cost of inaction only grows.

Enter The Nature Repair Market.

The Nature Repair Market scheme is a government initiative that incentivises actions to restore and protect the environment. It encourages nature-positive land management practices that deliver improved biodiversity outcomes.

It’s a critical move towards repairing the damage done and laying down the foundations for a sustainable future.

As a part of the Government’s Nature Positive Plan, The Nature Repair Market complements other priority initiatives that include:

• Protecting 30% of Australia’s land and seas by 2030;
• Working towards no new extinctions;
• Investing $500 million to protect our threatened species;
• Driving investment in nature;
• Encouraging businesses to report their nature-based financial risks and;
• The overhaul of the EPBC Act that includes:

• Establishing Environment Protection Australia (EPA) and the Head of Environment Information Australia (EIA);
• Strengthening powers to powers to ensure effective compliance and enforcement of national environmental laws and;
• Investing nearly $100 million towards faster environmental approvals.

The Nature Repair Market is designed to encourage and fund projects that restore and protect natural areas. Operating similarly to the carbon market, it focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem restoration.

Its goal is to address and reverse environmental damage, promoting healthy ecosystems that are essential for all life on Earth.

Modelled after the carbon market and administered by the Clean Energy Regulator, it allows individuals, companies, and organisations to invest in biodiversity projects, that help restore native habitats, improve biodiversity, and protect ecosystem health.

Key elements of how the Nature Repair Market works include:

Biodiversity certificates: Just like companies can purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions, they can purchase “biodiversity certificates ” to support restoration projects. These credits represent specific efforts to repair or enhance natural landscapes.

Market structure: The Nature Repair Market provides a structured platform where biodiversity credits can be traded. Landholders or project developers who undertake restoration efforts, such as replanting native vegetation or rehabilitating degraded landscapes, can earn these credits and then sell them to buyers.

Verification and standards: Projects in the Nature Repair Market must meet certain criteria and undergo verification to ensure that they genuinely contribute to biodiversity increases and ecosystem health. This includes monitoring to confirm that restoration goals are met, and ensuring transparency and accountability in how credits are earned and used.

Funding mechanism: By purchasing credits, buyers effectively fund conservation and restoration projects, providing financial support to landholders and organisations engaged in these efforts. This model aligns with sustainable business practices, offering companies a way to contribute to environmental sustainability and meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.

Government support and regulation: The Australian government plays a regulatory role in setting standards, verifying projects, and maintaining the integrity of the market, which helps build trust among buyers and sellers and ensures that projects have a real positive impact on biodiversity.

The Nature Repair Market offers benefits to a range of stakeholders including:

The environment and future generations: Ultimately, biodiversity and ecosystem restoration benefit all of society by preserving essential ecosystem services, such as clean air, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and climate resilience. Future generations inherit healthier ecosystems and more resilient natural areas.

Landholders and communities: Provides financial incentives for restoring nature, especially for rural landowners or communities involved in conservation.

Businesses: Companies looking to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals can purchase biodiversity credits as part of their sustainability initiatives. These credits enable businesses to contribute to biodiversity enhancement, support ecosystems, and demonstrate a commitment to environmental responsibility.

The market is designed to fill a critical gap in conservation funding, supporting the preservation and restoration of Australia’s unique ecosystems, addressing biodiversity loss, and enhancing resilience against climate change.

For over 23 years, we’ve been deeply committed to environmental restoration, and we’re thrilled to see The Nature Repair Market take shape. This initiative aligns closely with our mission to protect and restore ecosystems, and we’re eager to be a part of its growth.

We believe that nature repair is, at its core, a collective effort in which each of us has a role. When you unite for nature—whether by planting a tree with us, supporting our restoration projects, or educating yourself about the importance of biodiversity—you become part of a movement where nature can thrive.

And when nature thrives, so does everything that depends on it.

More information regarding The Nature Repair Market can be found here.

Learn more about our projects.
Learn more about biodiversity.

Next Up: Why The Nature Repair Market should matter to your business.