We’re joining with the global environmental community on a mission to protect 30% of nature by 2030 as part of the international goal outlined in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

We’ve developed a nature-based credit system that enables conservation-minded individuals and businesses to provide direct support to biodiversity via the purchase of Biological Diversity Units (BDUs) which each represent 1 square metre (1m x 1m) of high conservation value land. Each unit is registered spatially (georeferenced),covers the permanent legal protection/reservation of the land and funds 20 years of tangible conservation management works. 

Biological Diversity Units are not designed as a direct offset for biodiversity or habitat loss elsewhere, but rather as a mechanism to proactively support the protection and enhancement of biodiversity gain and contribute towards the 30% by 2030 target. 

Science-based and supported by expert ecologists, Wilderlands provides a robust tool to enable positive change in the protection and management of biodiversity.

A Biological Diversity Unit (BDU) represents the protection of one square metre of high strategic value conservation land. Each BDU will comprise a unique and verified unit in respect of a defined area (georeferenced), that will be permanently protected and managed to maintain and enhance the integrity of its biological diversity. A BDU can only be issued and assigned once and encompasses funding for 20 years of management plus the permanent protection afforded by a legal, on-title conservation agreement (covenant). in-perpetuity protection.

Our approach is an evolution of current biodiversity compliance programs in Australia, which are broadly founded on the concept of ex-ante biodiversity “gain” compared with Business as Usual (i.e. what would happen without protection and management). Gain is derived from protection (the legal restriction of existing and future land uses that threaten biodiversity), maintenance (active management to prevent a decline in condition) and improvement (activities that improve the condition of habitat over time).

 Unlike compliance markets, BDUs are not designed as a direct offset for biodiversity or habitat loss. Rather, they are a mechanism to support net biodiversity gain and contribute towards the global 30×30 target.

It’s critically important that you have confidence in the conservation projects you’re supporting, which is why we’ve secured an initial partnership with Cassinia Environmental, an Australian leader in landscape restoration, regenerative agriculture and biodiversity protection.

Established in 2002, Cassinia Environmental have delivered over 105 landscape scale projects across Australia for a diverse range of stakeholders, including State and Federal Governments, international corporations, NGOs, and Traditional Owners. With strong connections across the Victorian landscape, Cassinia Environmental is the largest covenanting partner of Trust for Nature, Victoria’s conservation covenanting body of private land.

Cassinia Environmental were recently featured in a mini-documentary commissioned by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on RE:TV detailing their work at Coorong Lakes in South Australia, a project you’re able to support through Wilderlands.

Our vision is Wilderlands will become a marketplace to support many landholders and conservation organisations to deliver conservation projects throughout Australia and around the world.

Through conservation covenants, a type of binding agreement that is permanently fixed to the title of the land, we ensure that that land is managed exclusively for conservation. These covenants are legally enforceable and the Biological Diversity Units (BDU’s) are then catalogued on a third-party register. We have detailed the process in ‘how Wilderlands works.’

Each project has land management plans which are legally binding and subject to regular reporting, site visits, and surveys ensuring these conservation practices actually happen.

We don’t just leave things there though. Delivering conservation work is costly so we’ve created an innovative approach which pays a portion of the BDU sale to the conservation manager directly, with the remaining amount placed into a trust to be paid as an annuity over a fixed 20 year term to the land manager, ensuring works continue to happen every year.

So what we’re really leveraging is existing well established biodiversity protection conservation management mechanisms across a whole new suite of properties. What Wilderlands unlocks is the ability to unitise this impact and bring it to you at an affordable price so you can start being part of this change.

Glad you asked. The Wilderlands Whitepaper has been developed by our Program Manager Nick Lewis and Chief Ecologist Chris Lindorff.

You can view it here and we encourage you to connect with us if you have questions as we welcome your feedback.

We are not. Wilderlands is a social enterprise. Whilst we are cause driven, it was important for us to recognise that there are many benefits to being privately funded, particularly given our aspirations to scale and moving quickly.

Having said this, the Wilderlands Foundation has been established concurrently – to directly support other environmental causes and charities. The Wilderlands Foundation owns 20% of Wilderlands.

Signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is dedicated to promoting sustainable development alongside the protection of nature. 

The Convention recognises that biological diversity is about more than plants, animals and microorganisms and their ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food security, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. In July 2021, the Secretariat of the CBD released the first draft of a new global biodiversity framework, to guide action worldwide through to 2030, to preserve and protect nature and its essential services to people. 

The draft Framework comprises 21 targets and 10 ‘milestones’ proposed for 2030, enroute to ‘living in harmony with nature’ by 2050 (See Box 1). A key draft target is to ensure that 30 per cent globally of land areas and sea areas are protected – a target known as thirty by thirty or “30×30”. Its formal adoption is slated for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference to the Parties on the CBD, anticipated in late 2022.

In 2009, 28 internationally renowned scientists identified nine processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the entire planet and identified the boundaries of each which define the ‘safe operating space for humanity’. 

Provided we stay within these boundaries, humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. 

As shown in Figure 1, biodiversity loss was identified as the greatest threat, highlighting that species are becoming extinct at a rate that has not been seen since the last global mass extinction event: it is currently some 100 – 1000 times higher than what is considered a natural rate of extinction. The study noted that biodiversity loss can also have pervasive effects on how the earth system functions, and its interaction with other planetary boundaries such as increasing the vulnerability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to changes in climate and ocean acidity.

The criticality of maintaining biodiversity has also been recognised economically, with the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Risk Report listing biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as one of the top three risks for the next ten years.

Australia’s biodiversity is of global importance, recognised as mega-diverse due to both its richness and its uniqueness. It is estimated that Australia is home to as many as 560,000 species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth, while between seven and ten per cent of all species globally are found in Australia.

The Australian environment has substantially changed since European settlement, attributed to the introduction of novel species (e.g. weeds, cane toads, predators such as cats and foxes), the clearance of native vegetation for agriculture and urban development, widespread grazing by hooved animals, disease (such as the root rot fungus, Phytophthora cinnamomi) and altered fire regimes. 

Feral predators such as cats and foxes have decimated many small mammal and bird populations, while habitat loss and land clearing continue to be a leading factor adding to Australia’s list of threatened species of which there are almost 2,000 formally listed.

Australia’s Strategy for Nature 2019-2030 has established three broad goals: Connect all Australians with nature, care for nature in all its diversity, and share and build knowledge. Contributing to these goals is an objective to improve the conservation management of Australia’s landscapes, waterways, wetlands and seascapes – including an increase in the number and extent of significant ecosystems and threatened species protected. In Australia, around 20 per cent of land is formally protected – so some good progress towards “30 by 30” – but more is needed with regard to both absolute area and with geospatial strategy in mind. 

Alarmingly, a 2021 report from the World Wide Fund for Nature lists eastern Australia among 24 global deforestation fronts – alongside the Amazon, Borneo and Congo Basin – and Australia is the only developed nation represented on the list. 

For many Aboriginal people, land represents all aspects of existence including culture, language, law, family and spirituality. Each person belongs to land, they don’t own it. Although Aboriginal people and indigenous organisations throughout Australia have different goals and aspirations, there is a universal underlying love for Country and the desire to heal it.

Wilderlands shares a similar aspiration for the Australian landscape and strives to restore 30% of Australia to as close to its original natural state as possible. We believe we can achieve this by protecting remnant and significant vegetation, restoring degraded areas and reconnecting fragmented landscapes. 

We recognise the 3 core elements of land – the capacity to support humanity, the ability to maintain functional and sustainable ecosystems and the legacy of a significant relationship between indigenous people and their country. Through partnerships with traditional owner organisations, knowledge sharing, access to land and project development, Aboriginal self-determination and Australian landscape restoration can be realised. 

At Wilderlands, we believe a healthy relationship with first people and indigenous organisations begins with understanding the culture and history of the people. We will endeavour to spend time improving our current relationships and developing new relationships to better understand indigenous culture and history. Recognising the significance of Country to Aboriginal people, our desire is to share Country with Traditional Owners through facilitating access and involvement with Wilderlands projects. During this engagement process, we will seek opportunities to help TO organisations achieve their self-determination goals through project partnership and collaboration.

As a supporter you’ll be purchasing Biological Diversity Units (BDUs), which secure the permanent protection of a specific square metre(s) of high conservation significance land at risk of biodiversity loss and receive certification from an independent registry authenticating your purchase.

As a supporter, you will have your own profile page, receive regular updates from ecologists and managers on the ground, and read stories about threatened species and issues relating to the ecosystems you are supporting. Via an interactive map, you will be able to zoom into an aerial photo for a closer look at the land you’re helping to protect (feature coming soon).

We’ve created these bundles to provide a taste of the different ecosystems you’ll be able to support, initially ranging from Tall Forests, Woodlands, Wetlands and Grasslands.

The projects you’ll be helping protect when you purchase one of these bundles are Crowes Lookout, Coorong Lakes, Budgerum and Alleena.

In the near future you’ll be able to customise your bundles to select exactly which projects you wish to support, however this feature is not available as yet.

In the near future you’ll be able to customise your bundles to select exactly which projects you wish to support, however this feature is not available as yet.

Every Wilderlands project includes legal permanent protection over the project land. This is achieved by the landowner entering into an on-title conservation agreement (known as a covenant) with a state government authority under an Act of Parliament (law or statute). Attached to a land title forever, any change of ownership of the land does not revoke or diminish the conservation covenant, ensuring continual management of the land for nature conservation. Effectively, the covenants create lasting sanctuaries for our wildlife on private property. The legal deed of covenant sets out the land-use restrictions, which may include the foregoing of future rights to subdivision and development. A conservation management plan is associated with the covenant to provide prescriptions to positive land management.

Compliance of a landholder with a conservation agreement (covenant) is monitored and enforced by the covenanting body (ie. Trust for Nature in Victoria, Biodiversity Conservation Trust in NSW, Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Native Vegetation Council in SA, etc.) This includes periodic reviews of the management plan, which may include the adoption of additional activities to improve the condition of the land.

Management progress of each Wilderlands project is reported on the Wilderlands website, including results of formal ecological assessments that measure change/improvement to the project site. Regular updates are also provided to supporters of management progress, including weed control efforts and successes, revegetation works, threatened species monitoring, pest control, soil stabilisation, and other activities.

Through conservation covenants, an agreement that is permanently fixed to the title of the land, we ensure that that land is managed exclusively for conservation. These covenants are able to be enforced by state and federal government and the Biological Diversity Units (BDU’s) are maintained on a third-party register. We have detailed the process in ‘how Wilderlands works’.

Each project has land management plans which are legally binding and subject to regular reporting, site visits, and surveys ensuring these conservation practices actually happen.

We don’t just leave things there though. Delivering conservation work is costly so we’ve created an innovative approach which pays a portion of the Biological Diversity Unit sale to the conservation manager directly, with the remaining amount placed into a trust to be paid as an annuity to ensure works continue to happen every year.

So what we’re really leveraging is existing well established conservation management across a whole new suite of properties. What Wilderlands unlocks is the ability to unitise this impact and bring it to you at an affordable price so you can start being part of this change.

A Biological Diversity Unit (BDU) represents the protection of one square metre of high strategic value conservation land. Each BDU will comprise a unique and verified unit in respect of a defined area (georeferenced), that will be permanently protected and managed to maintain and enhance the integrity of its biological diversity. A BDU can only be issued and assigned once and encompasses funding for 20 years of management plus the permanent protection afforded by a legal, on-title conservation agreement (covenant). in-perpetuity protection.

Our approach is an evolution of current biodiversity compliance programs in Australia, which are broadly founded on the concept of ex-ante biodiversity “gain” compared with Business as Usual (i.e. what would happen without protection and management). Gain is derived from protection (the legal restriction of existing and future land uses that threaten biodiversity), maintenance (active management to prevent a decline in condition) and improvement (activities that improve the condition of habitat over time).

Unlike compliance markets, BDUs are not designed as a direct offset for biodiversity or habitat loss. Rather, they are a mechanism to support net biodiversity gain and contribute towards the global 30×30 target.

No, each unit has a different price reflecting the cost of biodiversity protection and management works on that project.

These costs take into consideration the price of land that has been protected, and include the extent of conservation work required, the development and implementation of the management plan, monitoring and other elements as described in the  Wilderlands Whitepaper.

The price of Biological Diversity Units for current projects range from $2 to $7 per unit.

Yes. You’ll receive certification verified by our third-party registry Vegetation Link proving you’ve purchased unique Biological Diversity Units. This certificate will be downloadable via your personal profile page on the Wilderlands website and can be printed for display.

You can see an example of the certificate you’ll receive below.

In time the registry will be live on-line and all BDUs will be publicly viewable.

No, BDUs are not transferable or assignable once allocated. 

We’ll be introducing a new feature in the coming months which will enable you to send these Biological Diversity Units as a gift and help others start protecting their own plots of land within these projects.

At this point the best way you can support Wilderlands is by sharing the concept with your friends and helping them take action today.

It’s critically important that you have confidence in the conservation projects you’re supporting, which is why we’ve secured an initial partnership with Cassinia Environmental, an Australian leader in landscape restoration, regenerative agriculture and biodiversity protection.

Established in 2002, Cassinia Environmental have delivered over 105 landscape scale projects across Australia for a diverse range of stakeholders, including State and Federal Governments, international corporations, NGOs, and Traditional Owners. With strong connections across the Victorian landscape, Cassinia Environmental is the largest covenanting partner of Trust for Nature, Victoria’s conservation covenanting body of private land.

Cassinia Environmental were recently featured in a mini-documentary commissioned by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on RE:TV detailing their work at Coorong Lakes in South Australia, a project you’re able to support through Wilderlands.

Our vision is Wilderlands will become a marketplace to support many landholders and conservation organisations to deliver conservation projects throughout Australia and around the world.

Ambitious and innovative concepts like Wilderlands take resources to get off the ground, but ultimately our success will be measured on impact and this is reflected in how we spend your money.

Right now between 74.5% and 80.5% of your contribution goes directly to biodiversity protection projects (costs vary depending on the size of your contribution).

The remainder covers everything else including spreading the word, partnership development, project monitoring, technology enhancements, hosting and licenses. 

Our goal is to continually increase the percentage of funds raised through Wilderlands going directly to biodiversity protection.

Whilst each unit is affordable (ranging from $2 – $6 per unit), it is the accumulation of these units that makes biodiversity protection and on-going management possible. By selling tens of thousands of units for each project (some projects will exceed 1 million units), we can ensure conservation organisations have enough funds to support the on-going protection and management of these important ecosystems and their threatened species. 

Wilderlands aims to be highly strategic in its selection of projects and has therefore developed a rigorous and scientific assessment methodology. This assessment identifies the biodiversity and ecological features of a proposed property to determine eligibility for a Wilderlands project. Not all land with natural values will be eligible and not all eligible properties will be recommended. The assessment process identifies the ecological values, including the conservation status of ecological communities, rare and threatened species that require a greater level of protection, overall pest plant and animal threats that can be reduced to enhance biodiversity, landscape context, connectivity to existing core remnants, and opportunities for revegetation. Ecological attributes are scored to provide an overall measure of a site’s conservation significance and contribution to the protected area network.

For the benefit of communication with supporters, Wilderlands has adopted a list of broad ecosystem types that can describe a variety of habitats found across the Australian continent (and, in many cases, across the planet). The ecosystems described are adapted from the Australian Government’s Major Vegetation Groups (MVG), taking into account vegetation structure and biogeographic environments.

Wilderlands Ecosystems

• Rainforests
• Tall Forests
• Dry Forests
• Woodlands
• Mallee Woodlands
• Shrublands
• Wetlands
• Coastlands
• Grasslands
• Heathlands
• Riverlands

Tall Forests, Grasslands, Wetlands, and Woodlands are currently being supported by the four Wilderlands projects. In the near future, further ecosystems will become available for supporters to protect with Wilderlands.

Through conservation covenants, an agreement that is permanently fixed to the title of the land, we ensure that that land is managed exclusively for conservation. These covenants are able to be enforced by state and federal government and the Biological Diversity Units (BDU’s) are maintained on a third-party register. We have detailed the process in ‘how Wilderlands works’.

Each project has land management plans which are legally binding and subject to regular reporting, site visits, and surveys ensuring these conservation practices actually happen.

We don’t just leave things there though. Delivering conservation work is costly so we’ve created an innovative approach which pays a portion of the Biological Diversity Unit sale to the conservation manager directly, with the remaining amount placed into a trust to be paid as an annuity to ensure works continue to happen every year.

So what we’re really leveraging is existing well established conservation management across a whole new suite of properties. What Wilderlands unlocks is the ability to unitise this impact and bring it to you at an affordable price so you can start being part of this change.

Not at this point.

We want to make it possible for project supporters to see their impact first hand and are working with our conservation partner Cassinia Environmental to find ways to enable you to visit the projects you’re supporting.

This will take some planning and may not be possible for some time.

However as a way of experiencing your ecosystem – we are looking to make a list of ecosystem types similar to those which can be supported, which are on public land and which can be visited and experienced. 

Great question! For a start most natural disasters are exactly that ‘natural’ and many species actually require disturbance such as  fire to begin their lifecycle. However, there is the risk of non-natural events which are outside our control so we need to be able to manage this risk.

Twenty per cent of all Biological Diversity Units generated will be retained by Wilderlands (i.e., not sold) to be held as a “loss buffer” (similar to some risk management approaches in the carbon market). This buffer will account for systemic program risks such as unplanned, unforeseen and irreversible habitat degradation within a project area. 

To find out more about the loss buffer we suggest you read the Wilderlands Whitepaper. 

On your profile you’ll see social media sharing buttons on the left hand side at the top of your page, just below your avatar. Simply click the platform you wish to share to and tell your friends about Wilderlands.

You can access your account settings via this link.

This is where you can access your profile details, passwords, email preferences and page visibility once you’re logged in.

Your certificate provides a record of your Biological Diversity Units purchased on the registry and can be accessed in your account when you’re logged in via this link.