Australia’s unique biodiversity generates $511 billion for the economy every year.
Yet investment in its protection and maintenance falls far short and in large part because policy and markets are built to manage, price, and sell, favouring things that can be labelled and owned.
Nature doesn’t fit our rules: it crosses borders, does much of its work unseen, and has no voice in the decisions that shape it. In short, it’s mobile, invisible, and silent.
Ecosystems are complex webs of habitats that often span – or in the case of birds and animals, skip over – boundaries.
The Murray–Darling Basin is a clear example. It’s a single ecological system that spans four states and a territory that’s governed by fragmented rules and priorities. What happens upstream ripples downstream.
We also struggle to notice the effort nature puts in. And an example of this is under your feet.
Fungal networks bind soil particles together, recycle nutrients, and support plant growth. This work underpins food production and healthy landscapes, yet it rarely shows up in markets or accounts. When nature’s services are hidden and unmeasured, they are vulnerable to neglect.
And nature is silent. Prices, profits, and lobbying are how markets ‘speak’. Nature, by contrast, doesn’t attend budget meetings and without a voice, it’s left out of the decisions that impact it.
So, what are the solutions?
We need to restore, protect, and maintain nature – our multi-billion-dollar green engine of prosperity that we are currently grossly underinvesting in.
Australia’s unique biodiversity generates billions a year for the economy, yet it receives only a fraction of the funding it needs.
A 1% increase in the federal budget for nature matters.
Investing just 1% in nature would:
- Boost Australia’s annual productivity growth by more than 40% – on par with the most powerful pro-growth reforms.
- Keep our landscapes and wildlife healthy for generations to come.
- Cut future disaster recovery costs.
- Improve public health.
- Make Australia stronger in the face of climate impacts.
Australia has already joined the global 30 by 30 initiative where countries have pledged to ensure 30% of the Earth’s lands and seas are safe by 2030. But this won’t work without proper funding.
We can find this funding without putting extra pressure on the budget. By redirecting existing federal spending, Australia could free up more than $3.4 billion a year to restore and protect nature.