Australian insights
Biodiversity Month(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Australian Government celebrates Biodiversity Month(Opens in a new tab/window) every September and promotes the importance of connecting with nature and caring for nature in all its diversity. To help achieve the Global Biodiversity Framework goal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, the Australian Government has updated its national plan, called Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2024–2030(Opens in a new tab/window).
Check out the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s website(Opens in a new tab/window) for how you can protect and celebrate biodiversity year-round.
Environment Protection Reform Consultation(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is consulting(Opens in a new tab/window) on the next stage of Australia’s environment protection reforms ahead of its commencement by 1 December 2026. The proposed reforms are designed to make environmental assessments and approvals faster and simpler and more transparent. The department is seeking feedback on the regulations needed to implement these reforms and support a more efficient environmental assessment and approvals system. The consultation paper includes:
- new approval tests
- new streamlined assessment pathways
- setting up the Restoration Contributions Holder, and
- other consequential changes.
The department is inviting feedback from stakeholders on the proposals in this consultation paper by 13 October 2026.
Progress on the 2026 State of the Environment Report(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has released(Opens in a new tab/window) the third edition of its Fieldnotes for the preparation of Australia’s State of the Environment Report (SoE) 2026. SoE is a national assessment that brings together the best available science, data and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's knowledge to provide a comprehensive picture of the condition of our environment. The next State of the Environment Report (SoE26) is due to be provided to the Minister for the Environment and Water in December 2026.
Traditional Owners help shape biodiversity opportunities under the Nature Repair Act(Opens in a new tab/window)
Kimberley Land Council (KLC) has shared(Opens in a new tab/window) the coming together of 30 Traditional Owners and land managers in August to share their experience managing Country for biodiversity, helping inform the development of a future potential Savanna Fire and Biodiversity method under the Nature Repair Act. The workshop is part of a broader project delivered in partnership with the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. KLC will be hosting online workshops later this year to discuss potential method settings in more detail.
Biodiversity credits: tax, cash flow and structuring considerations for landowners(Opens in a new tab/window)
PKF Australia, a consultancy firm, has released a short guidance summary(Opens in a new tab/window) on some of the tax considerations for engaging in the emerging biodiversity credit market in Australia. The summary covers how capital gains tax can be applied to NSW biodiversity stewardship agreements and proposes 5 practical questions for landholders to consider before participating. The summary notes that biodiversity credits require the same level of commercial discipline as any other significant investment decision, and that an effective biodiversity credit investment strategy considers the timing and structuring of arrangements.
Bureau of Meteorology's long-range forecast(Opens in a new tab/window)
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has published(Opens in a new tab/window) its long-term forecast for September to November 2026. The forecast covers both rainfall and temperature and includes an overview in video(Opens in a new tab/window) format. The video includes a review of winter's rainfall and its effects across Australia, before describing the BoM's expectations for the next few months and into 2027 for temperature and rainfall. The long-range forecast for September to November shows two different scenarios for eastern and western Australia, with rainfall likely to be below average across parts of the south and east and above average across much of the western half of Australia. Daytime and overnight temperatures are expected to be above average, and implications for bushfire risk across the nation are also outlined.
International insights
bloomlabs publishes countries datasets on biodiversity markets(Opens in a new tab/window)
bloomlabs has released(Opens in a new tab/window) an update to its data product with the introduction of countries datasets (the feature is still in beta – bloomlabs welcomes comments and suggestions). bloomlabs hosts 94 countries (plus the EU) in the new dataset. Australia and New Zealand together host more than half of the entire volumes of credits sold. bloomlabs has released the datasets due to increasing interest in biodiversity credits following the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022. bloomlabs hopes this data set will help countries “compare notes” and contribute to alignment and delivery of nature conservation commitments.
Nature enters the credit committee: Japan’s new finance guide(Opens in a new tab/window)
Japan’s Environment Ministry has issued(Opens in a new tab/window) a voluntary guide for investors and financial institutions to add forests, water, soil, species and ecosystem dependence to routine investment and lending decisions. The guidelines divide nature finance into two categories: nature positive finance and nature-mainstreaming finance. Nature positive finance has the higher threshold where a transaction must make a substantial contribution to nature. Nature-mainstreaming finance is broader and brings nature into routine business assessments, portfolio management, and engagement and investment decisions. In practice its reach could be further, as it relates to ordinary corporate lending and investment.
The ministry has opened a companion Nature Finance Practice Model Project. This program will run until 26 February 2027 and can support policy design, priority mapping, engagement frameworks, underwriting criteria, disclosure and gap analysis.
Working paper assesses corporate valuations in response to nature-related legal risks(Opens in a new tab/window)
Banque de France has published(Opens in a new tab/window) a working paper investigating the financial materiality of nature-related legal disputes. The paper analyses 22 major North American and European companies and finds that markets rapidly price in nature-related legal risks, with corporate valuations declining following complaint filings and court rulings or settlements. It identifies regional differences, with European markets reacting more strongly to complaint filings and American markets responding more negatively to rulings or settlements. The paper also finds evidence that litigation against one firm in a sector can lead to sector-wide valuation adjustments. The paper highlights the need for integration of nature-related legal liabilities into risk management frameworks.
CDP and Japan's Nature Conservation Bureau collaborate with corporate nature-related disclosure data(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global nonprofit that operates environmental disclosure systems, is collaborating on a corporate nature data project(Opens in a new tab/window) with the Japanese government’s Nature Conservation Bureau to strengthen the use of corporate nature-related disclosure data. The data will be used to inform policy development, support stakeholder dialogue, and monitor progress toward a nature-positive transition. Corporate nature-related disclosure data provides visibility into both the actions taken and challenges faced by companies seeking to take action to halt biodiversity loss.
CDP has also published a report(Opens in a new tab/window) examining the way that sub-national governments are using disclosure to help provide the evidence needed to integrate health and nature into climate action. In urban environments, infrastructure solutions like urban wetlands, green roofs and walls, and mangrove and marsh restoration are being used to address climate adaptation, biodiversity and public health objectives. Disclosure can be used to identify where environmental risks and opportunities and make progress visible and comparable.
September TNFD webinars to support decision making and risk management(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) will host a series of webinars(Opens in a new tab/window) throughout September on nature-related decision making, risk management and tech sector guidance. Included on this list is a session run in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative that will mark the release of new guidance to help bank boards, risk committees and senior management strengthen oversight of nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities. The guidance is intended to support integration of nature considerations into governance and risk management processes and reflects growing interest from financial institutions in understanding how biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation may affect financial performance. The second TNFD Status Report will be released during Climate Week NYC (20-27 September 2026).