How protecting native bush can generate an income and a sense of purpose

When father-of-three Sam Cooke bought a densely forested 40-hectare parcel in Victoria’s scenic Otways region, he planned to ride motorbikes on the site with friends and take his children camping.

But when he applied to clear some of the land, he learned that he would need to “offset” the bush he intended to raze by purchasing native vegetation credits through a Victorian government scheme.

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That scheme, and others like it in NSW and federally, grant “credits” to landowners who promise to protect and improve the native habitat on their properties in perpetuity. Those credits can then be sold to landowners like Cooke, who would otherwise be denied planning permission to remove native vegetation.

“Learning about the program made me wonder if I wouldn’t be better off protecting the land and generating credits myself,” says Cooke, who owns a signage business in Geelong. He did just that.

Now, instead of riding motorbikes, he and his mates undertake conservation work, such as controlling weeds. Cooke and his kids camp there regularly, enjoying the pristine environment.

“Taking on this responsibility has been incredibly rewarding,” he says.

Until recently, major landowners, such as farmers and miners, generated most of the schemes’ credits and sold them to developers.

Cooke is one of a small but growing number of individuals with recreational properties who are joining the schemes. To qualify, their land must be assessed by an accredited ecologist, who determines its biodiversity value and conservation management needs.

Credit brokers such as Biodiversity Offsets Victoria often offer this service, then help landowners sell their credits.

Anna O’Brien, director of Biodiversity Offsets Victoria, explains that the money generated from selling credits is gradually released to landowners, providing revenue to manage the land and fulfil their conservation commitments.

Under management, the biodiversity value of the sites increases, O’Brien says. Small native herbs and sensitive shrubs return, paving the way for rare marsupials such as bandicoots and potoroos.

“The knowledge landowners gain while protecting the existing biodiversity from threats is invaluable,” O’Brien says.

In NSW, trader Ben Huda is in the process of setting up nine Biodiversity Stewardship Sites, as they are known in the state, covering more than 10,000 hectares. “I started with one out near Parkes, in central-western NSW, where I grew up, and it progressed from there,” he says.

Huda is the co-founder of a successful London-based trading firm, which he still manages remotely part-time.

“When I came back to Australia, I wanted to do something I was passionate about, which was environmental conservation,” he says. His land portfolio includes sites in the Liverpool Ranges and an unspoiled wilderness area in southern NSW that’s home to an 80-metre waterfall.

Several of Huda’s properties are partially devoted to agriculture. “I’ve always wanted to show that regenerative agriculture and biodiversity could co-exist,” he says.

Ian Rollins, managing director of Niche, the largest private offset broker in NSW, says the schemes are set up to allow landowners to ring-fence a portion of their property for conservation, leaving the rest for recreation or farming.

“You might have a cattle farm with 50 or 100 hectares of bush down the back of the property that’s not being used, or you’ve bought a holiday home on a large block of land,” Rollins says.

Huda, who is working with Niche, says the intricacies of the schemes can be daunting at first. “It was quite a learning experience. You have to invest a fair bit of time and talk to people who understand the system.” But he says landowners with relatively small parcels like his should persevere.

“By putting an agreement on your block, you’re not changing your ability to enjoy that block. If anything, you’re going to enjoy it more. You’re going to see the benefits of protecting biodiversity while generating revenue to preserve the site in perpetuity.”

Rollins encourages landowners who are curious about the schemes to make enquiries and not be daunted by bureaucracy. “Setting up a site is a low-cost and possibly very high income-generating proposition, and at the end of the day you are preserving and protecting Australia’s unique biodiversity. It’s a win-win.”