Natural Capital incentives are an investment in ending deforestation

Queensland Conservation Council welcomes today’s election commitment by Queensland Deputy Premier of $139.5 million nature fund investment. This includes $90 million investment in QIC’s Natural Capital Fund, $23.5 million for a stewardship fund for private protected areas, and $20 million to support landholders participating in Natural Capital Markets.

Queensland Conservation Council Director Dave Copeman said:

This is a big investment in a better future for Queensland’s landholders, but also Queensland koalas, greater gliders, yakka skinks and the 385 other animal and plant species threatened by deforestation.

With this investment we hope Queensland will lead the world in documenting the regrowing of forests and restoring biodiversity, providing revenue streams for landholders, and a future for our threatened species.

The $20m investment includes the baseline science necessary for Queensland to create high integrity carbon and biodiversity credits, that the world can have confidence in. We can be world leaders in natural capital, and today's investment will build much needed confidence that the carbon and biodiversity gains are real and additional.

A strong natural capital market should be the engine that drives a transformation in our rural community, towards the vision of regenerative agriculture, of greener sustainable landscapes where graziers work to restore forests and protect watersheds.

Queenslanders expect that their beef is deforestation-free. Supermarkets are responding to their calls, and today’s announcement is a helping hand to ensure that all landholders can deliver on this expectation.

Country needs people, and these funds will provide incentives for landowners and traditional owners to be on the land, restoring habitat and managing biodiversity, including by controlling pests and ferals.