Connecting finance and farmer-led Nature-based Solutions (NbS) initiatives in rural Australia
- Ebony Greaves
- Jun 24
- 4 min read
This week SEAOAK co-facilitated a presentation at the global Ecosystem Services Partnership conference in Darwin - alongside Australia's National Science Agency, CSIRO, Wageningen University & Research, and NRM Australia.
Watch the full 7-minute video below:
Australia's climate future grows on farms
Australian farmers manage more than half of our landscapes. Agriculture has historically contributed to environmental degradation e.g. GHG emissions, deforestation, biodiversity declines and habitat loss, soil nutrient depletion, excessive water use, however, farmers are now central to the solution. We'd even go as far as to say Australia's climate future grows on farms.
Australia's targets are:
To achieve net zero emissions by 2050
To increase the protection of landmass and marine areas to 30% by 2030, up from 24% currently
To prevent new extinctions of Australia's flora and fauna
To prioritise the restoration of degraded ecosystems and enhance the resilience of its natural environments
With farmers managing approximately 426 million hectares of Australian landscapes, they must be engaged and incentivised to be part of the solution if Australia is to meet its climate and biodiversity targets. And yet, they face major systemic barriers that prevent them from leading this change.
At SEAOAK, our aim is to unlock the financial systems that currently hold farmers back from being at the forefront of climate adaptation and landscape resilience.
Examples of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the agriculture industry
Nature-based Solutions in agriculture aim to improve ecosystem health and productivity, while reducing emissions and increasing resilience.
Examples include:
Integration of trees into grazing systems to improve shade, soil health, and biodiversity
Rotational grazing and regenerative pasture management that builds soil carbon, increases water retention, and reduces erosion
Saltmarsh restoration near estuarine farms for carbon storage and protection against sea-level rise
Use of polycultures, composting, and natural pest control to reduce input reliance and improve biodiversity
Rewetting drained peatlands used for grazing and crops to prevent GHG emissions and restore biodiversity
These practices aren’t just good for nature - they boost resilience, productivity, and long-term viability of farms and landscapes.
The scale of opportunity is enormous. Researchers have estimated that Australia’s croplands alone could sequester an extra 541 million Tonnes of carbon - equivalent to 18 years of ag sector emissions.
By unlocking carbon and biodiversity markets and aligning them with practical farming goals, we can put money in the hands of farmers to reward stewardship. But we have to start with understanding the real barriers they face.
Australia's landscape resilience depends on our farmers, but they face barriers that prevent them from being part of the solution
What’s holding farmers back? Here’s what we’re hearing on the ground:
Navigating carbon markets and methodologies is confusing, and there has historically been mistrust around the credibility of carbon markets
High upfront costs and uncertain returns on investment deter many farmers from going down the path of landscape restoration
There’s a lack of awareness of grants that may be available for nature-based farm initiatives, and farmers are already time poor
Pressure from supply chains and shifting international regulations is putting added pressure on farmers to adapt their farming practices
Lack of local case studies to learn from
At the same time, climate stresses such as drought, fire and flood are compounding pressures for farmers.
UK-born LENs framework for farmer-led landscape regeneration and resilience
As an Australian climate and sustainability consultancy working within the agriculture industry, our team has looked globally for models that bridge this gap, that put money into the hands of farmers to lead the way in landscape regeneration and resilience. The UK-born Landscape Enterprise Networks, or LENs, is a standout.
LENs was developed by 3Keel, with 6 active LENs regions now across Europe and the UK. It’s a marketplace for shared value with a focus on co-designing projects with farmers and linking them to value chain partners who also benefit from resilient, productive landscapes.
LENs follows a three-stage process, bringing together businesses across the same value chain to identify shared commercial land management needs that would be difficult to tackle within their own supply chain in isolation. Those businesses then invest jointly, sharing the cost and the risk of investment, with farmers bidding for the investment to develop the NbS across multiple farms that will improve the resilience and health of an entire local landscape.
SEAOAK supporting government with assessing LENs model for farmer-led landscape resilience
We're proud to share that SEAOAK has been engaged by Government to assess the suitability of the UK-based Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) model for an Australian market and landscape. The project will explore alignment with carbon abatement and ecological restoration opportunities in Australia and will result in a place-based pilot concept that tackles a specific ecosystem resilience challenge.
In places such as Australia, there is also an opportunity for the LENs model to work in with and complement existing natural capital markets including carbon and biodiversity markets, so we will also be looking at this as part of the feasibility assessment.
Note: SEAOAK is not affiliated with 3Keel or LENs, we are here just to share our perspective on a global NbS finance model that we believe has strong viability and potential for impact in Australia.
Our principles for unlocking landscape-scale resilience
At SEAOAK, we’re working to prove that landscape regeneration and climate resilience isn’t only possible - it’s profitable and scalable, if we set farmers up for success and incentivise them appropriately.
Our principles for success are:
Farmer first: Co-design landscape solutions with the people who manage 55% of Australia’s land, and ensure they are appropriately incentivised
Bundle ecosystem services: Finance multiple outcomes at the same time - carbon, water, biodiversity
Engage the value chain: Resilient ecosystems and landscapes benefit the entire value chain; ensure they are engaged and part of the solution
Share stories and case studies: Share real stories of how NbS have been successfully financed and integrated into farm-landscapes
Collaborate for impact: Collaboration and long-term partnerships are key to scaling impact
Place-based: Focus on local ecosystems, local challenges, and local outcomes
Embed resilience into solutions: Climate adaptation and rural resilience must be central, not sidelined
Interested in speaking with the SEAOAK team?
If you would like to learn more about the work and projects our team are doing in this space, we would love to hear from you!
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