Biodiversity Offsets Program - Picton Road upgrade

Transport for NSW is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from rural landowners within the Wollongong, Wollondilly, Camden and Campbelltown Local Government Areas or anywhere on the Cumberland Plain that may be interested in managing areas of their property under the Biodiversity Offsets Program.

Landowners interested in lodging an EOI need to complete and return the application form to us by 31 March 2023.

We will contact you to discuss your application, the Biodiversity Offsets Program and next steps. Responding to the EOI is obligation free and does not commit you to anything.

Existing credit holders and landowners who have already undertaken the necessary biodiversity assessments are also encouraged to contact us directly.

Transport for NSW seek to minimise and avoid impacts on biodiversity from road and other infrastructure projects. When building roads, sometimes land available for wildlife (biodiversity) can be impacted and that impact needs to be offset by protecting and improving similar biodiversity values by ‘offsetting’ in a different place.

The Biodiversity Offsets Program provides:

• a consistent biodiversity assessment process for development
• a rigorous and credible offsetting scheme
• an opportunity for rural property owners to generate income by managing their land for conservation.

Under this scheme, landowners enter a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement with the NSW Minister for the Environment and Heritage and can then sell the biodiversity credits generated by their properties. The program is a voluntary process.

Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements provide an opportunity for landowners to receive a guaranteed long-term income in return for managing some or all of their land for biodiversity.

Expressions of Interest are sought from rural landowners in the following areas:

• Wollongong Local Government Area
• Wollondilly Local Government Area
• Camden Local Government Area
• Campbelltown Local Government Area
• Anywhere on the Cumberland Plain.

We are seeking properties with the following native vegetation communities, or plant community types (PCTs):

• Grey Box - Forest Red Gum grassy woodland on shale (PCT 850)
• Cumberland Shale Plains Woodland (PCT 849)
• Narrow-leaved Ironbark - Broad-leaved Ironbark - Grey Gum open forest (PCT 1395)
• Swamp Oak open forest on riverflats (PCT 1800)
• Red Bloodwood - Grey Gum woodland (PCT 1081)
• Blackbutt - Turpentine - Bangalay moist open forest (PCT 694)
• Lilly Pilly - Coachwood warm temperate rainforest (PCT 905)
• Smooth-barked Apple - Red Bloodwood - Sydney Peppermint heathy open forest (PCT 1181)
• Sydney Blue Gum x Bangalay - Lilly Pilly moist forest (PCT 1245)
• Sydney Peppermint - Smooth-barked Apple - Red Bloodwood shrubby open forest (PCT 1250)
• Sydney Peppermint-White Stringybark-Smooth-barked Apple Forest (PCT 1253)
• White Stringybark - Grey Gum grassy forest (PCT 1319)
• Red Bloodwood - Scribbly Gum - Stringybark open forest (PCT 1787)
• Red Bloodwood - Grey Gum - Stringybark open forest (PCT 1790)
• Banksia - Needlebush - Tea-tree damp heath swamps (PCT 1803)
• Needlebush - Banksia wet heath swamps (PCT 1804)
• Mallee - Banksia - Tea-tree - Hakea heath-woodland (PCT 1824)
• Bangalay - Coast Banksia open forest (PCT 1843)

If you don’t know what type of native vegetation is on your property you can search using a digital map here.

A minimum land size of 10 hectares is required.

The EOI process offers suitable landowners the opportunity to have their land assessed for its plant and animal (biodiversity) values, free of charge.

Transport for NSW will also support landowners financially to understand the legal and practical implications of entering a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement over their land.

In return, Transport for NSW will:

• work with landowners to agree to an Exclusivity Agreement with Transport for NSW
• retain ownership of all assessment reports prepared
• discount the costs of preparing the assessment from the credit price.

Participating in the EOI process or signing an Exclusivity Agreement does not mean that landholders must enter an agreement to sell their credits to Transport for NSW.

Landowners interested in lodging an EOI need to complete and return the application form to us by 31 March 2023.

EOIs will be considered in the order that they are received.

For more information about how Transport for NSW supports landowners to enter Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements please read - Selling Biodiversity Credits to Roads and Maritime Services Fact Sheet (PDF, 354.24 KB). 

For more information about what’s involved in entering a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement see the Biodiversity Conservation Trust webpage.