More than 300 environmental professionals will assemble in Canberra next week to analyse the transition from biodiversity offsetting to nature positive at a pivotal conference hosted by the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand from 23-25 July.
The National Biodiversity Offsets Conference comes at a time when offsets and governments are under increased scrutiny for their effectiveness in addressing biodiversity decline, and as the industry calls on state and federal governments to prioritise much-needed environmental reform. The Institute will release a communique sharing key takeaways from the conference that outlines a way forward for policy decisions in the weeks following the event.
The conference is part of a suite of activities designed by the Institute to ready environmental experts for the Australian Government’s Global Nature Positive Summit in October. This includes a program of marquee events spanning many environmental disciplines and a series of communiques on key topics in the nature positive space.
Keynotes include Biodiversity Council Lead Councillor and former Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Hugh Possingham; Professor Martine Maron, IUCN Group Chair on Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation; Anthony Lean, Secretary, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; former ACCC chair Professor Graeme Samuel AC, whose review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2022 was the catalyst for the Australian Government’s current environmental reform agenda; and Zoe Whitton, Managing Director, Head of Strategy and Impact at Pollination.
This is the third time the Institute has hosted this event, with the previous conferences taking place in 2019 and 2022.
Quotes attributable to Vicki Brady, President of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand:
‘This year’s National Biodiversity Offsets Conference is a platform for the brightest minds in biodiversity offsets and environmental reform to exchange ideas on the best way to achieve nature positive.
The Environment Institute looks forward to continuing productive discussions on these topics in the lead up to this year’s Global Nature Positive Summit.
The Institute welcomes the Government’s recent moves to establish an Environment Protection Agency and Environment Information Australia. However, we urge them to confirm a timeline for the suite of crucial reforms to the EPBC Act including the development of a new National Environmental Standard for offsetting. We encourage the Government to commit to ongoing consultation with the Institute and its thought leaders to ensure any new policies are fit for purpose.’
About EIANZ
The Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) is Australasia’s peak body for environmental professionals. As part of a global network of more than 30,000 practitioners, we represent members from a diverse range of technical professions including scientists, policy makers, engineers, lawyers and economists. Our members are at the forefront of issues such as biodiversity and climate change.
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