Topics > Native vegetation > Offsetting

Become a Third Party Provider, broker or consultant

If you would like to work with landholders and clearance applicants to help deliver Significant Environmental Benefit (SEB) offsets, you can apply to become accredited as a:

  • Third Party Provider – help establish and manage SEB sites.
  • Broker - help establish SEB sites but leave the management to someone else.
  • Consultant - undertake vegetation assessments to develop SEB management plans.

Third Party Provider

If you have the ability to establish and manage a SEB site, you may wish to become an accredited Third Party Provider. Your responsibilities may be to:

  • help a landholder organise an assessment of their vegetation
  • develop management plans and costings
  • establish and manage a SEB site on behalf of a landholder or clearance applicant.

You must also be prepared to enter into a management agreement with the Minister for Environment and Water and a lease agreement (or other contractual arrangement) with a landholder for each SEB site that you oversee.

To become an accredited Third Party Provider you must complete the Application for Accreditation as a Third Party Provider and submit it with the prescribed fee. Your application needs to:

1. demonstrate your experience in native vegetation management or biodiversity conservation projects.

2. include the status of any existing and potential SEB sites that might be available for you to manage.

The Native Vegetation Council will assess your application and may impose conditions on your accreditation. Once accredited, your contact information will be provided on the Accredited Third Party Providers list.

Broker

If you are interested in helping a landholder establish a SEB site, but you don’t want to be responsible for its ongoing management, you can be a broker. Your responsibilities may be to:

  • help a landholder organise an assessment of the vegetation
  • develop management plans and costings
  • facilitate agreements or contracts between landholders and third parties.

To become an accredited broker you must complete the Application for Accreditation as a Third Party Provider and submit it with the prescribed fee. The Native Vegetation Council will assess your application and may impose conditions on your accreditation. Once accredited, your contact information will be provided in the Accredited Third Party Providers list.

Establishing SEB sites (for Third Party Providers and Brokers)

A SEB site needs to address a number of requirements in order to be endorsed by the Native Vegetation Council. This is outlined in detail in the Native Vegetation Significant Environmental Benefit Policy and you can find a quick guide on selecting a site here.

Once you have selected an appropriate site, you will need to submit an Application to Establish an SEB Area and Assign Credit. Your application also needs to include:

  • a vegetation assessment completed by an accredited consultant (while you may also be registered as an accredited consultant, you are not permitted to conduct a vegetation assessment of a SEB site that you are seeking to establish)
  • a management plan for the SEB site (prepared by you or the accredited consultant). See the following resources section for instructions and sample plans.

If approved by the Native Vegetation Council, the SEB site is secured when you (or the relevant party) enter into a management agreement with the Minister for Environment and Water and the SEB is registered on the property title.

Resources

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