A Nature Repair Market Emerges on the Sunshine Coast
the nature repair market. Inspired by the carbon market, this initiative aims to incentivize landholders to restore ecosystems, with large companies paying for the privilege.
The project, still in its early stages, is being tested at Blue Heart, a collaborative effort led by Sunshine Coast Council. Here, researchers are opening the gates that once kept salt water off the fields, allowing life to flow back onto the flood plain. Long-legged birds wade through mud flats, fish dart in the brown water, and Jabirus circle overhead.
For the Kabi Kabi people, this land holds deep significance. Aunty Cecilia Combo remembers it as a place of food, medicine, and gathering, where turtles, fish, and black swans thrived in the freshwater melaleuca swamp. The nature repair market aims to restore this connection to Country.
Unlike the carbon market, where compliance drives participation, the nature repair market is voluntary. Biodiversity certificates cannot be used as offsets, and their price will be negotiated between buyers and sellers. The science behind valuing these certificates is still under development, but projects must be assessed by the Clean Energy Regulator and run for 25 to 100 years.
The government sees Blue Heart as a test case for the potential synergy between carbon and nature repair markets. The project has received funding to investigate blue carbon capture through mangroves and salt marshes, offering the potential for "double-dipping" by selling both carbon credits and biodiversity certificates.
Environmental economists hold mixed views on the market's prospects. Some, like Jim Smart, are optimistic, believing it can demonstrate the value of restored ecosystems. Others, like Jim Binney, worry about high administrative costs and the potential for greenwashing.
However, both agree that blue carbon projects, with their large market and established offsetting mechanisms, hold promise. For landholders, the market offers an opportunity to cover the costs of nature repair and generate income.
For Aunty Cecilia Combo, the restoration of Country is paramount. While the land may never fully return to its original state, the project represents a step towards healing the wounds inflicted by agriculture and climate change. As fish return to the newly formed estuaries and the interconnected wetland takes shape, a sense of hope emerges, reminding us that nature, given the chance, can repair itself.