From offsets to opportunity: Making nature repair a business decision

Nature repair can’t be an afterthought for project approvals

Australia’s environmental approvals settings are tightening, and expectations are rising. Alongside the impact and cost considerations of approvals, an opportunity is emerging: treat nature repair as a strategic land-use decision, not a late-stage compliance discussion.

Global direction shaping local policy: Nature positive by 2030

The United Nations has agreed to major biodiversity targets for this decade, including protecting and effectively managing 30 percent of the world’s lands and waters by 2030, alongside accelerating restoration. Australia’s policy direction is increasingly shaped by this context, with a shift away from slowing decline towards delivering nature-positive outcomes over time.

For businesses, nature-related risks are becoming easier to define, discuss and disclose. The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TFND) has released a framework for organisations to assess and disclose nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities. The framework is structured around governance, strategy, risk management and targets. Some Australian organisations are already moving early, seeking to understand their interface with nature at an enterprise level and stay ahead of emerging expectations.

Biodiversity markets: A new pathway for investment in nature outcomes

One of the most practical developments in Australia is the Australian Government’s Nature Repair Market. This is a national, legislated biodiversity market designed to increase investment in nature and deliver high-integrity biodiversity outcomes.

Other biodiversity market frameworks are also emerging, including the Accounting for Nature framework – an independent, verified approach for measuring and certifying changes in environmental condition – and Eco-Markets Australia, which administers verified environmental credit markets.

Participation is voluntary. Proponents select an approved method, deliver a project and once outcomes are achieved (or likely to be achieved), they are acknowledged in accordance with the relevant framework. Investors can help fund projects upfront, and buyers can purchase certificates as a way to invest in biodiversity outcomes. 

There are also models designed to link carbon and biodiversity outcomes. For example, CarbonPlus links Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to independently certified nature outcomes using the Accounting for Nature framework.

For proponents navigating approvals, the Australian Government’s guidance is particularly relevant. Environment protection reforms passed on 28 November 2025 amended the Nature Repair Act 2023 so that methods can specify whether biodiversity certificates could be used as environmental offsets. That single word – “could” – matters. The market is still developing, and outcomes depend on method design and demand.

Beyond the regulated offset market, the voluntary biodiversity market is still relatively new and buyer demand remains limited. Under the Nature Repair Market, certificates cannot operate as offsets, although settings may evolve over time.

This reality should temper hype without stalling planning. Early markets tend to reward organisations that become measurement-ready and build credible internal governance before broader uptake occurs.

Who’s paying attention (and why)

The strongest early signal is coming from organisations that manage large landholdings and want to think beyond a single land use. From renewable energy developers exploring whether parts of their land could deliver carbon outcomes and potentially participate in emerging biodiversity markets, through to mining companies looking at land restoration opportunities, and water authorities with land around pipelines, treatment plans and catchments.

The motivation extends beyond reputation. Making nature a visible part of investment decisions is becoming a strategic consideration.

Biodiversity offsets: The impact/cost side of the equation

Biodiversity offsets sit on the impact and cost side of approvals. Where significant residual impacts remain after avoidance, minimisation and mitigation, offsets become a regulatory requirement under Commonwealth and state/territory frameworks. Offsets can be delivered through land-based offsets (securing and managing land), credit purchase, or financial payments to an offset fund where available. Land-based offsets can run for 20+ years, with lead times from identifying an offset to approval often 12–24 months or longer, and costs are driven by impact scale, habitat quality and market conditions.

Nature repair initiatives (including the Nature Repair Market) complement – not replace – offsets: carbon and biodiversity compliance offsets cannot be stacked on the same land area, carbon projects must be separate from biodiversity offsets, and Nature Repair Market certificates can be stacked with ACCU projects where appropriate. 

The implication is straightforward: treat offsets early. Prioritise avoidance and minimisation, build portfolio-wide visibility of liabilities, and engage early with regulators to reduce cost risk, delivery constraints and approval delays.

Five practical moves for proponents

Even as the market evolves, there are pragmatic steps organisations can take to manage both approvals risk and opportunity:

• Map your land interface with nature – where impacts and dependencies sit across operations/projects, and identify opportunities for avoidance early.
• Identify candidate sites for repair – areas where rehabilitation stacks with project outcomes and long-term land strategies.
• Decide how nature repair interacts with carbon strategy – should be complementary, not interchangeable.
• Get measurement-ready early – credible biodiversity outcomes require robust methods, monitoring and reporting.
• Build internal alignment – across approvals, environment, finance and strategy so nature repair doesn’t stay siloed.

From impact to opportunity

Approvals reform and offset conversations often focus on impact and cost. Thinking about nature repair opens another lane. It supports resilience, stronger land stewardship and clearer decision-making, with the potential to deliver investable biodiversity outcomes over time.

The organisations that perform best will not treat nature repair as a late-stage offset workaround. They will approach it as a strategic choice, grounded in integrity, evidence and long-term value.