On 31 October 2026, Canberra officials announced that Australia’s national Nature Repair Market would open a second method, “enhancing native vegetation,” to broaden opportunities for landholders to participate in biodiversity conservation and restoration projects. The announcement appeared in a statement from Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt, who explained that the new method would allow landholders to register projects aimed at improving and maintaining existing native vegetation or restoring it where it has been cleared.
The Nature Repair Market is designed to attract private landholders, farmers, Indigenous groups and conservation organisations to invest in activities that restore and protect biodiversity. The market’s first method, which focused on native forest and woodland replanting, has already registered four projects covering 2,656 hectares of land that are being protected and restored.
Under the new method, registered projects can be used to improve habitats for threatened species and control invasive plants and animals. The government said the expansion would broaden eligibility for participation and enable certain projects to be used as environmental offsets, potentially stimulating demand for biodiversity restoration activities.
Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water, said:
"The Nature Repair Market is still in its early stages, but by introducing more methods for use, we're incentivizing and rewarding landholders for protecting and restoring biodiversity on their land, including by controlling invasive species,"
He added that protecting habitats on private land was essential to improving conservation outcomes for Australia’s threatened native species. “By expanding the range of activities that can count toward the market, we are creating additional incentives for stewardship on private property,” Watt said in the statement.
Landholders who wish to apply under the new method should consult the government’s guidance on project eligibility, which details requirements for improving or maintaining existing vegetation and addressing invasive species. The guidance is part of the broader effort to create a market‑based approach to biodiversity restoration that can be integrated with environmental offset schemes.
The expansion of the Nature Repair Market comes at a time when Australia is seeking to increase private commitment to biodiversity restoration as part of its national environmental strategy. The government’s early focus on forest replanting has demonstrated that market‑driven incentives can mobilise private landowners to protect and restore natural ecosystems.
With the addition of the enhancing native vegetation method, the market now offers a more comprehensive suite of restoration options that may attract a broader range of projects and potentially increase the total amount of land that is eligible for biodiversity benefits. The policy shift is intended to encourage ongoing investment and support the long‑term conservation of threatened native species across Australia’s diverse ecosystems.
