Ecologist Matt recently attended the National Biodiversity Offsets Conference in Canberra, hosted by the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand. The EIANZ hosted the first national conference on biodiversity offsets in 2019, and since that time, offsets have become an integral part of environmental management in Australia. The aim of this year’s conference was to reflect on what has changed since 2019, discuss what the future looks like for environmental offsets, and consider how the industry can help to shape this future.
The conference hosted various expert speakers who, over three days, reflected on the progress of offset policy in Australia and discussed how it is being implemented at various levels of government. Specifically, these talks involved explanations of the offset policies themselves, discussions of case studies focussing on offset programs in various local and state projects, and current challenges and shortfalls of offsets in Australia. The conference also included a poster session, during which Matt presented our work at the Mt Emerald offset site. Finally, conference attendees went on a field trip to view offset areas for threatened ecological communities around Canberra.
Conference field trip
Matt presenting our Mt Emerald offset site work.
The conference was a great success, allowing 4elements to share our offset experience with our peers whilst also expanding our understanding of offsets and the role that they will play in the future of environmental management.
