A Regional Knowledge Hub for Environmental Markets

Empowering Landholders • Enhancing Ecosystems •

Encouraging Collaboration

The Subtropical Farm Forestry Association Inc. (SFFA) has launched an initiative to support Northern NSW’s tree growers in navigating Australia’s emerging environmental market opportunities, including the Nature Repair Market. We have been successful in a recent Caring for Catchments (CfC) funding round, for the creation of a regional knowledge hub and tree-grower education pilot to "demystify environmental markets" and empower landholders with locally relevant information.

Why It Matters

Australia’s Nature Repair Market Act 2023 introduces biodiversity certificates that reward ecological enhancement rather than offsetting destruction - in our opinion, a game-changer for conservation-minded landholders.

However, smaller properties may need to combine efforts to meet market thresholds. That's where local support, collaboration, and education become essential.

💡 What’s the Plan?

SFFA proposes to initiate a regional consortium of:

• tree planting groups,

• Industry bodies, aggregators and brokers,

• philanthropics and potential investors,

• Knowledge holders:

• environmental professionals,

• natural resource managers,

• first nations groups, and

• other interested parties.

The focus will be on the website (treefarmer.au) currently under construction, which will provide information resources for all those interested in the potential for engagement in environmental markets in our region.

We will publish updates as the project progresses.

A landholder survey is currently (July 2025) under development, and we will send an email around when it is ready to launch. Your answers will help us enormously in curating appropriate content for the "Knowledge Hub" website