Biodiversity stewardship agreements

A biodiversity stewardship agreement is a legal agreement between the owner of the land and the minister responsible for the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The agreement establishes the biodiversity stewardship site and creates biodiversity credits.  

A biodiversity stewardship agreement specifies the area (or areas) of land to which the agreement applies and is registered on the title of the land. The landholder chooses the area (or areas) of land to be placed under agreement when applying for a biodiversity stewardship agreement.  

A biodiversity stewardship agreement includes:  

• the number and type (or types) of biodiversity credits created  
• the payment schedule from the Biodiversity Stewardship Payments Fund and Total Fund Deposit established through the sale of credits  
• a management plan for the site that covers plant communities, threatened species, weeds, pests, grazing, fire and disturbance as well as monitoring legal terms and conditions and reporting requirements.

Under the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme, a biodiversity stewardship agreement creates biodiversity credits that can be sold or used to offset the loss of biodiversity values resulting from development. Credits can also be purchased to invest in conservation outcomes for philanthropy, corporate social responsibility or as part of a government program.

Generate credits with a biodiversity stewardship agreement