The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) have awarded Niche Environment and Heritage Pty Ltd (Niche) the Inland Rail NSW Biodiversity Offset Site Identification Program.
The award of this multi-million dollar works package will result in the Niche biodiversity team working alongside ARTC’s team for several years to identify and assess sites across NSW that may well be used to supply biodiversity offsets to the Inland Rail program.
The award is the result of a highly competitive tender process, with Niche proving its ability to support ARTC in meeting their objective of providing sufficient biodiversity offsets credits from approved stewardship sites for retirement against each individual Inland Rail project.
Niche’s NSW Regional Manager, Mr. Lawrence Smith said, “The Niche team are thrilled to be involved in this once in a lifetime project, that will change the face of freight movement in Australia, while also providing economic growth for regional communities together with the establishment of excellent conservation outcomes, for the benefit of future generations.”
The appointment of Niche’s biodiversity team to deliver this project reflects our position as market leaders in biodiversity offsetting in NSW and reflects the breadth and depth of our experience securing significant biodiversity offset outcomes for state and nation building projects.
Lawrence further stated, “It’s an exciting time to be involved with this massive regional infrastructure project. The appointment of Niche’s biodiversity team to deliver this project reflects our position as market leaders in biodiversity offsetting in NSW and reflects the breadth and depth of our experience securing significant biodiversity offset outcomes for state and nation building projects. Our team’s extensive experience in shepherding landholders through the complex NSW Biodiversity Offset Scheme will no doubt add significant value to the project”.
The Inland Rail Project
The Australian Government is delivering Inland Rail through the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), in partnership with the private sector.
A 1,700km fast freight backbone from Melbourne to Brisbane, Inland Rail will transform how we move goods around Australia. Comprising 13 individual projects, Inland Rail is the largest freight rail infrastructure project in Australia and one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the world.
Once complete in 2025/2026, it will better link businesses, farmers and producers to national and global markets and generate new opportunities for industries and regions.
Further information is available at these websites:
- ARTC website www.artc.com.au
- The Inland Rail website https://inlandrail.artc.com.au/
Landholders: NSW Biodiversity Offsets Registration
Landholders wishing to express interest in the NSW biodiversity offsets program should in the first instance access the Inland Rail EOI (expression of interest) website: https://inlandrail.artc.com.au/biodiversity-offsets-eoi
The benefits to landholders entering a Biodiversity Stewardship Site Agreement and selling credits to Inland Rail include:
- guaranteed, regular payments to manage the site
- reimbursement of opportunity costs for the site
- Inland Rail support with ecological investigations and registering the site
- incorporating conservation into long-term management and control of your land
Contact Niche’s Inland Rail Offsetting Project Leadership Team
Niche’s project team is available to speak in person with project developers about project offset requirements, or with landholders about the opportunity for your property to supply biodiversity offsets to projects like the Inland Rail Project.
Niche’s Inland Rail NSW Offset ID Program leadership team contact details are:
Matt Richardson – Director, Niche
Project Director – ARTC Inland Rail NSW Offset ID Program
M: 0488 224 777
E: mrichardson@niche-eh.com
Luke Baker – Ecology Team Leader, Niche
Technical Project Lead – ARTC Inland Rail NSW Offset ID Program
M: 0488 224 008
E: lbaker@niche-eh.com
Dr Cairo Forest – Ecologist, Niche
Project Manager – ARTC Inland Rail NSW Offset ID Program
M: 0488 224 599
E: cforrest@niche-eh.com
About Niche
Niche is a leading multidisciplinary consultancy specialising in ecology and biodiversity, heritage management, environmental management and approvals, and environmental offsetting. Our team includes ecologists, botanists, archaeologists, environmental approvals specialists, environmental scientists and heritage consultants.
Niche’s 60+ consultant team includes specialist ecologists who are highly experienced in developing successful offsetting strategies and are accredited by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) in applying the Biodiversity Assessment Methodology (BAM), in compliance with the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
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