Niche Environment and Heritage (Niche) in June 2020 executed a formal Agreement to support the Australian Department of Defence as a member of the DIP.EHEE Panel (Defence Infrastructure Panel – Environment, Heritage and Estate Engineering) for an initial five year term. As one of Australia’s largest land managers, Defence is responsible for the management of a large, complex, and diverse estate that has…
National Reconciliation Week, 27 May to 3 June 2020, is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part…
In November last year, the NSW Government released the Spot Price Index1 for biodiversity credits created using the BioBanking Assessment Methodology under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act). Whilst this act has now been replaced by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) and the assessment of biodiversity offsets is now determined…
Niche has been undertaking archaeological excavations right in the heart of Brisbane CBD for the Cross River Rail project. Listen to our senior historical heritage consultant Dr Kevin Rains talking about some of the project’s fascinating finds and the incredible insights they provide into the city’s past, in this webinar he presented for National Archaeology…
The NSW EPBC Act1 Bilateral Agreement was amended on March 24, 2020 (Amending Agreement No. 1) as a result of both the NSW and Australian Governments’ commitment to: Streamlining environmental assessments and offsets for projects in NSW and Reducing the regulatory burden on proponents of projects in NSW. The amendment has been anticipated for some…
Healthy Land and Water (HLW), in partnership with Seqwater, is undertaking a regional riparian weed control program to reduce and control the impact of invasive weeds on native vegetation. HLW engaged Niche for advice on how best to protect Aboriginal and/or historical cultural heritage values within the project area. Our Brisbane-based consulting team defined cultural…
Niche is open for business. We care about our staff, our support teams and our clients, and we are committed to delivering on our promises. Our communities and our environment have faced quite a few challenges in the past months: bushfires, floods, and now a pandemic. Of course, during the current coronavirus pandemic, there are…
The recent fires across NSW have created challenges for assessors quantifying the impacts of developments on burnt bushland and valuing potential Biodiversity Stewardship Sites. Ecologist and Accredited BAM Assessor Dr Cairo Forrest summarises key points from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE)’s recently released guidelines for applying the Biodiversity Assessment Methodology (BAM) at…
As the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis rapidly evolves in Australia and around the world, Niche would like to emphasise that the wellbeing of our staff, clients and business partners is our number one priority. Since the emergence of the pandemic, we have been risk-assessing all work-related activities and encouraging our team to feel empowered to make…
Yogesh is an ecologist specialising in bush regeneration, revegetation and ecological rehabilitation. He has more than ten years’ experience in monitoring, management and planning for bushland restoration projects in the Sydney metropolitan area and across NSW. Yogesh joined Niche’s multidisciplinary consulting team in August 2019. He is based at our Sydney head office, with frequent…
The recent and ongoing bushfires across Australia have caused devastation to our natural environment and cultural heritage values. The entire team at Niche is sincerely grateful to our emergency services, firefighting agencies, and volunteers. It is heart-warming to see the Australian spirit bringing people together to provide support to communities and wildlife affected by the…
Sincere thanks to our clients, business partners and supporters for a wonderful tenth working year in 2019! We’ll be taking a short break from Tuesday 24 to Friday 27 December and will be back to work on Monday 30 December. We wish you a safe and enjoyable Christmas break and look forward to working with you in…