Australian insights
Clean Energy Finance Corporation: Annual Report 2025-26(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has committed an additional $250 million to natural capital transactions in the 2025–26 financial year, taking its lifetime commitments to $925 million. The CEFC is working to unlock capital, harness new technologies and pioneer multi-use approaches to land and agriculture in order to protect nature and sequester carbon.
CEFC has increased focus on and delivery of First Nations-led investments over the latest financial year. It is supporting a First Nations-led plantation forestry initiative in the Tiwi Islands. It has also committed capital through Bank Australia to support the Nari Nari Tribal Council in restoring one of Australia’s most significant freshwater wetland systems. This investment is strengthening Indigenous leadership in land and water management while delivering measurable carbon sequestration and long-term biodiversity benefits.
EIANZ webinar series: Focus on Nature Repair Market (Opens in a new tab/window)
The Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) Inc is hosting 3 webinars to give environmental practitioners a practical grounding in Australia's Nature Repair Market, the national biodiversity certificate scheme.
The webinar series starts with policy and regulatory foundations, then focusses on the scientific methodology underpinning certificate integrity, and the tools and platforms used in practice. The sessions will equip ecologists and other professionals to engage with the Market with confidence. Webinars will be held on 29 October, 13 November and 9 December 2026. Links to recorded sessions will be sent to registered delegates after each event.
ASFI report: The role of the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) has released a report exploring how the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy could be expanded to support investment in climate adaptation and resilience. Drawing on engagement with financial institutions, governments and technical experts, the report demonstrates how a common framework could help direct capital towards resilience investments across infrastructure, the built environment, agriculture and business. The report will inform the development of a blueprint, expected in early 2027, outlining priority sectors and technical criteria for future taxonomy expansion.
Accounting for Nature consultation open: Draft Attribution Protocol (Opens in a new tab/window)
Accounting for Nature has launched public consultation on its draft Attribution Protocol, a science-based framework designed to improve the credibility and consistency of environmental accounting. Developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford and other technical experts, the protocol provides guidance on assessing the extent to which management actions contribute to observed environmental outcomes. Consultation is open until 26 February 2027, with an Asia-Pacific webinar scheduled for 8 December 2026.
Green Finance Institute: Financing long-term conservation in New South Wales(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Green Finance Institute has published a case study examining how the New South Wales Biodiversity Offset Scheme is attracting private investment into conservation outcomes. The case study highlights how the sale of biodiversity credits generates dedicated long-term funding for site management, helping ensure conservation obligations are maintained well beyond initial restoration activities. It provides an example of how market mechanisms can support enduring biodiversity outcomes while delivering certainty for investors and landholders.
Australian Government Consultation open: NSW bilateral agreement for assessments under EPBC Act(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is consulting on the establishment of a bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and New South Wales under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The agreement is intended to remove duplication of assessment processes to keep Australia’s economic strong while protecting our environment. The consultation is open until 19 November 2026.
Third and fourth projects registered under the Nature Repair Market(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Clean Energy Regulator has registered two more projects under the Nature Repair Market.
- Silva Capital Cooplacurripa Biodiversity Project No. 2 at Cooplacurripa Station in north-east New South Wales aims to restore 1,230 hectares of land by using staggered plantings under the Replanting Native Forest and Woodland Ecosystems method.
- Nortongong biodiversity restoration projectis located near Coonamble in north-west New South Wales and plans to restore 968 hectares of cleared land and support the recovery of Weeping Myall open woodland ecosystems.
Both projects are carrying out a Nature Repair Market project and an Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme project on the sites. They demonstrate how landholders can pursue biodiversity and carbon outcomes while continuing to use land for agricultural production.
International insights
UNEP FI policy brief: Nature-related regulation of banks in China and the EU(Opens in a new tab/window)
The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) has published a policy brief comparing how China and the European Union are integrating nature-related considerations into banking regulation. It provides a snapshot of an emerging regulatory landscape that is likely to influence financial institutions and businesses globally. The publication focuses on three interconnected areas: environmental policy context, corporate regulation and market frameworks, and prudential regulation and supervision.
The report notes:
- both jurisdictions are developing nature-related sustainable finance frameworks, but through different legal and institutional pathways.
- the EU has generally taken a more prescriptive regulatory approach through sustainability disclosure and due diligence frameworks, while China has increasingly embedded environmental and ecological objectives within its broader sustainable finance and green finance agenda.
- both approaches continue to evolve as regulators build capacity and understanding of nature-related financial risks.
PSI launch: Nature-Aware Underwriting Toolkit (Opens in a new tab/window)
The Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) initiative has launched the first edition of its Nature-Aware Underwriting Toolkit. It is designed to help insurers integrate nature-related considerations into underwriting and risk assessment. The toolkit includes a Climate-Nature Nexus Atlas, which maps relationships between ecosystem condition and climate hazards. It also contains a practical handbook to support organisational capability-building. These resources aim to help insurers better understand how ecosystem degradation and restoration can influence insured risk and resilience outcomes.
OECD biodiversity update: Tracking economic instruments and finance for biodiversity(Opens in a new tab/window)
The latest update from the OECD's biodiversity policy tracking database highlights the growing use of economic instruments to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management globally. In 2026, the database recorded 924 biodiversity-positive incentives across 105 countries, including taxes and fees, subsidies, payments for ecosystem services, tradable permits and biodiversity offsets. Biodiversity-positive taxes alone generated approximately USD 11.2 billion in revenue globally in 2024, demonstrating the significant role market-based mechanisms can play in funding nature outcomes.
The report also notes increasing adoption of payments for ecosystem services and biodiversity offset programs, alongside 269 active biodiversity-positive subsidy schemes and 35 tradable permit schemes, primarily supporting sustainable fisheries management. Together, these findings highlight a growing international focus on using economic and financial incentives to mobilise investment and encourage nature-positive action at scale.
ISSB consultation open: Proposals for nature-related disclosures(Opens in a new tab/window)
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has released its Exposure Draft of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Practice Statement 1: Nature-related Disclosures, which is open for consultation until 19 February 2027.
The Practice Statement is intended to support companies in applying IFRS S1 to nature-related risks and opportunities. The ISSB is seeking feedback on the content of the Exposure Draft, including whether to finalise the Practice Statement or issue nature-related content in another form, for example, as a Standard.
NGFS Declaration: Taking Action for Nature(Opens in a new tab/window)
The Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), members of which include the Reserve Bank of Australia and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, has published its declaration on Taking Action for Nature. The declaration reaffirms the NGFS's commitment to advancing understanding of nature-related financial risks and supporting members in developing practical approaches to identify, assess and address these risks. It establishes a project to test methods that could inform future NGFS nature scenarios and explore complementarities with the climate scenario framework.
Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Danone to modify recycling claims(Opens in a new tab/window)
The European Commission has welcomed commitments by Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and Danone to change recycling claims advertised on their plastic bottles. These companies have committed to replace claims on bottles’ labels. This is to ensure the overall impression of the label and marketing is not misleading and that digital marketing campaigns reflect the content of these commitments. As soon as the companies have made the changes, consumers will be able to rely on fair and clear information about the recycling characteristics of the bottles, in line with the requirements of EU consumer law.
ESG Institute: Sustainability Report Explorer (Opens in a new tab/window)
The ESG Institute has launched a Sustainability Report Explorer(Opens in a new tab/window), an online database containing more than 2,500 sustainability reports from over 90 countries. The platform allows users to search and compare corporate sustainability disclosures. It includes reports from 52 Australian organisations. The resource may assist businesses and practitioners seeking examples of emerging sustainability and nature-related reporting practices.
Ceres examines investor action on nature and barriers to progress(Opens in a new tab/window)
Ceres, a not-for-profit sustainability advocacy organisation, has released analysis examining how more than 800 institutional investors are acting on nature. The report finds that:
- more than 400 institutional investors representing USD 60 trillion in assets under management have engaged with companies in their portfolios on nature-related issues
- more than 160 investors have advocated for biodiversity-related policy change, including supporting robust EU Deforestation Regulation.
The analysis identifies the following key barriers to scaling investor action: inconsistent data, policy uncertainty and misaligned incentives. Recommendations include stronger biodiversity plans, more consistent disclosure requirements and reforms to environmentally harmful subsidies.