Creating a sustainable future.
At Niche, we do work that matters and has a lasting and profound impact on our clients, communities and our environment. We want to leave a positive legacy on the world and create a sustainable future.
Establishing a Biodiversity Stewardship Site
on your land
Landowners can establish a Biodiversity Stewardship Site, conservation project or offset site on their land to generate biodiversity credits and protect areas with biodiversity value.
For landholders in NSW, the Biodiversity Offset Scheme (BOS) is a well-established scheme that offers an innovative way to generate an additional income from selling biodiversity credits to project proponents for compliance purposes.
For landholders in Queensland and Victoria, there are also growing opportunities to engage with project developers looking to establish offset sites under state or federal schemes.
In areas where infrastructure development is increasing, such as Renewable Energy Zones, project developers have significant demand for land to help them meet their biodiversity offset obligations.
Niche is working with many large projects across eastern Australia with requirements to source biodiversity credits and we are seeking landholders to evaluate for potential conservation projects.
Our landholder biodiversity services
Niche works with landowners and land managers to guide them through the process of establishing a stewardship site.
We provide an end-to-end service for your new project including:
- Site feasibility assessments
- Preparation of Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements and Biodiversity Stewardship Site Assessment Reports
- Development of site management and costing plans
- Brokerage of biodiversity credits (link to brokerage page)
We can also support landholders in NSW with existing Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements to help you efficiently manage funding and on-ground activities. We are specialists in implementing management plans for sites in active management.
We also have extensive experience in preparing variations to add species credits or ecosystem credits to existing sites.
Why work with Niche?
Niche has more experience in biodiversity offsetting assessment and site establishment than any other consultancy in NSW. Ausecology, our subsidiary company, has vast experience in establishing environmental offset projects in Queensland.
We have a dedicated Natural Capital team and a large team of ecologists including botanists, fauna ecologists and Accredited Assessors. We have trusted working relationships with the regulators, maximising efficient negotiations and approvals.
Over the past decade, our team has:
- Enabled over 19,000 ha of land to be protected through biodiversity projects
- Established (completed or in process) almost 33,000 ha of Biodiversity Stewardship Sites
- Established over 40 offset sites, including the first Biodiversity Stewardship Site under the BOS
- Assessed over 320,000 ha of land across more than 330 potential biodiversity stewardship sites
- Transacted over 51,000 of our client’s credits, valued at over $120m
- Facilitated close to $1b of credit sales on behalf of development clients
Is your land suitable for a
Biodiversity Stewardship Site?
To help landholders take the first step in assessing the potential of their land for conservation, we have developed the LOOP, our Landholder Offsets and Origination Portal. The LOOP allows for online and efficient interrogation of the biodiversity potential of your site and provision of feasibility assessments.
To register your interest and better understand the suitability of your site, please click the button below and complete our enquiry form.
Check Your PropertyNote you will need the following information:
- Name and contact details (email and phone)
- Street address
- Property name, Lot and DPs.
Follow the instructions to submit your land information and a Niche staff member will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss your site with you.
Can’t get the form to work for you? Please contact us directly for assistance.
What our landholder clients say
“As farmers we feel that this is a great opportunity for us to participate in helping protect a diverse patch of threatened ecological communities and species on private land. We adore the uniqueness of the property and this will allow future generations to enjoy a diverse landscape in a world that’s leaning towards monocultures for mass food production.”
Owners of Journey’s End West Biodiversity Stewardship Site, near Hill End, NSW
Key people
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Dr Amanda Griffith BSc (Hons), PhD, Accredited BAM Assessor
Manager – Natural Capital and Offsets Markets
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Natasha Power
Experienced Consultant – Biodiversity Markets
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Jennie Powell BNatRes (Hons), Accredited BAM Assessor
Manager – Natural Capital Conservation
Find out more
Read our Landholder Info Pack for more information about what is involved in setting up a Biodiversity Stewardship Site.
If you would like to find out if your property is suitable, submit your details into our enquiry form using the button below and our Landholder Services team will get back to you.