Biodiversity Markets

Biodiversity Offsets

An Environmental Offset is a regulatory framework for offsetting unavoidable impacts on biodiversity from development by generating alternative biodiversity compensation through landholder stewardship agreements. In Queensland there are two ways a landholder can develop an Environmental Offset agreement.

First, an advanced offset. A public device delivered by the Queensland Government. An advance offset is an area of land that has been registered by the Department of Environment and Science (DES) for potential use as an environmental offset in the future as it contains, or is capable of containing, one or more Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES).

Second, is a private environmental offset that is brokered between the landholder and the developer with the aid of a third party. In both cases, certain requirements and regulations must be met.