Australia has launched a second biodiversity restoration method under its national Nature Repair Market, expanding opportunities for landholders to register projects that improve or restore native vegetation. Announced by Environment Minister Murray Watt on Friday, the method, termed enhancing native vegetation, lets farmers and private owners maintain existing native plants or replant cleared areas, aiming to benefit threatened species and curb invasive plants and animals.
The Nature Repair Market, which first introduced a native forest replanting programme, has already protected 2,656 hectares of land across four projects. The new method broadens eligibility and could allow some projects to serve as environmental offsets, thereby raising demand for precious biodiversity restoration activities on private property.
Watt said the market’s early stage meant that adding new methods would incentivise landholders to protect and restore biodiversity, including controlling invasive species, saying that safeguarding private land was essential for improving outcomes for Australia’s threatened native species.
The government’s expansion comes amid growing calls for market‑based conservation, and the move could encourage more farmers, Indigenous groups and conservation organisations to participate. As the programme rolls out, it may create a developing niche for nature repair services that help landowners achieve ecological goals while earning credit in the market.
