NaturePlus® Standard.
NaturePlus®: A scientifically robust biodiversity credit program that values real, measurable results for nature.
Introducing the NaturePlus® Standard to Accounting for Nature.
Leading the way in biodiversity and environmental markets.
Accounting for Nature is proud to announce the upcoming addition of the NaturePlus® Standard to our growing suite of environmental programs. This strategic move underscores our ongoing commitment to providing the highest standards of scientific integrity, transparency, and independence in environmental accreditation and certification.
While the announcement has been made that NaturePlus® will transition from GreenCollar to Accounting for Nature, the full integration of the NaturePlus® Standard into our Framework will occur later in 2025, with the exact date to be confirmed. As we move forward with this integration, we will enhance our ability to offer comprehensive Environmental Accounts that address broader biodiversity market application.
This addition comes at a time when nature-positive investments are gaining momentum globally, and the demand for robust, transparent environmental reporting is higher than ever.
An Expression of Interest has recently closed for submissions and we are working on the review and updates to the Standard under Accounting for Nature.
Why NaturePlus®?
The NaturePlus® Standard offers a ready-to-use credit issuance framework for nature and biodiversity project developers. This allows Account Holders to access environmental markets without the need to develop their own issuance standards, ensuring fast and reliable access to nature credits. Designed to meet the rigorous governance and integrity requirements of Accounting for Nature, NaturePlus® guarantees:
Independence – Free from external influence in both standard setting and credit issuance.
Scientific rigour – Backed by the highest levels of scientific expertise and accountability.
Transparency – Adherence to independent auditing, public reporting, and a secure digital registry.
A commitment to governance and integrity.
Accounting for Nature has established an Independent Standards & Integrity Committee to ensure that NaturePlus® adheres to the same high standards that guide all of our certifications. This committee will work in tandem with our existing Independent Science Committee to maintain best practices across environmental markets. Key features of NaturePlus® governance include:
Transparency in credit issuance, including through our new digital nature & biodiversity credit registry
Independent assurance requirements
Clear separation of responsibilities in standard setting and issuance
To participate, project developers must first hold an Accounting for Nature® Certified Environmental Account that demonstrates an improvement in nature’s condition. This approach ensures that any uplift in biodiversity is verifiable and can be translated into NaturePlus® credits.
Accounting for Nature will continue to support other third-party standards to issue nature and biodiversity credits under their own brands, where they meet the Accounting for Nature® Rules for the Issuance if Nature & Biodiversity Credits (in development).
Supporting the evolution of the NaturePlus® Standard.
In 2022, NaturePlus® was piloted by GreenCollar in a two-year initiative that resulted in further refinement of the standard. Accounting for Nature is building on this foundation to evolve the standard to meet the dynamic needs of biodiversity markets globally.
We are also exploring the outsourcing of the administration of NaturePlus® credit issuance to a third party, to strengthen the separation between science, standards management, and credit issuance. This will enhance the independence and trust in the NaturePlus™ Standard.
As we transition NaturePlus® Standard from GreenCollar to Accounting for Nature, we will release an Expression of Interest to assist with the review and refinement of the Natureplus™ Standard, through the Standards & Integrity Committee. All responses will remain strictly confidential to ensure the privacy of your input.
Why this matters?
NaturePlus® offers a transparent and accountable pathway for landholders, investors, and project developers seeking to participate in nature-positive investments. Whether your goal is to restore biodiversity, manage ecosystems sustainably, or invest in environmental outcomes, the NaturePlus® Standard provides a trusted, science-backed solution.
A key element of the transition of the standard is the role of the Independent Administrator, which is vital to ensuring the integrity and success of the NaturePlus® Standard as it moves under the management of Accounting for Nature. As the Independent Administrator, Accounting for Nature will oversee the rigorous certification and verification processes, maintaining transparency, scientific rigor, and impartiality, ensuring stakeholders can trust the certification process.
This independent oversight is essential as global demand for nature-positive investments grows, ensuring NaturePlus® continues to meet high standards of transparency and accountability.
What’s next?
As part of our integration plan, Accounting for Nature is rolling out pilot programs for NaturePlus® to test its global applicability. We are actively seeking input from landholders, conservationists, and market participants to shape the next phase of this standard.
Key milestones in the evolution of NaturePlus®:
Expansion of pilot testing to new geographies, environmental assets and ecosystems.
Continuous stakeholder engagement to ensure the standard meets global biodiversity and market needs.
Development of rules to enhance transparency and separation of responsibilities in environmental markets.
Introduction of a digital platform to support timely due diligence, risk assessments and management interventions for projects anywhere in the world.
Expression of Interest
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Expression of Interest –
Expression of Interest.
The EOI has now closed, and feedback submitted on the NaturePlus® Standard will be reviewed and considered as we update the Standard.
If you have nominated a future NaturePlus® project, our team will review your submission and get in touch to:
Confirm your eligibility for the NaturePlus® program
Outline next steps based on your project’s stage and goals
Answer any questions you may have
Discuss how we can support you
Expression of Interest
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Expression of Interest –
Historical background - GreenCollar Pilot Projects:
The NaturePlus® biodiversity credit scheme, originally developed by GreenCollar, Australia’s foremost environmental market developer and investor, was an important early initiative to create a voluntary market for biodiversity outcomes. The scheme was designed to inform and incentivise evidence-based decision-making for nature by generating credits from projects that achieved measurable positive impacts for biodiversity.
NaturePlus® applied the scientifically robust environmental accounting framework provided by Accounting for Nature, enabling benchmarking, measurement, and tracking of the environmental condition of native species and ecosystems on a global scale. This approach supported voluntary investment in projects that could demonstrate real, measurable, and independently verified biodiversity outcomes.
The scheme recognised the value of outcomes across native fauna and vegetation, soil, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems, helping to create a foundation for market-based approaches to biodiversity.
NaturePlus® is currently undergoing transition of administration by Accounting for Nature, continuing to build on this foundation to ensure credibility, transparency, and consistency in biodiversity crediting.
The following documentation and information is provided for historical background on the work originally undertaken by GreenCollar and to provide transparency and access to information during the transition phase.
NaturePlus® three key design elements
The inception model incorporates three key design elements:
Credits represent real outcomes: many payments for biodiversity are based on actions carried out with a view to restoring biodiversity in the future. NaturePlus® Credits are only awarded to projects that have already delivered third-party audited and certified uplift in environmental condition.
Incentives for long-term continuous improvement: with a unique continuous crediting approach NaturePlus® is designed to improve environmental condition and maintain improvements long-term by creating a mechanism that rewards and protects gains. Adaptive management informed by measurement of environmental condition enables land managers to respond to changing ecosystem needs.
A total ecosystem solution: NaturePlus® is designed to work with methods that span native vegetation, fauna, soil, fresh water and marine environments.
Certified environmental accounts
NaturePlus® Projects have certified environmental accounts under the Accounting for Nature® Framework. To be eligible for validation as a NaturePlus® Project, projects must first have registered and certified environmental accounts under the Accounting for Nature® Framework.
NaturePlus® Projects deliver incremental gains for nature
For a NaturePlus® Project to be eligible for issuance of NaturePlus® Credits for restoration activities (shown in green), the condition of the relevant Environmental Asset at the end of a monitoring period must be greater than 10 under the Accounting for Nature® Framework and exceed the condition at the start of the monitoring period.
To be issued with credits for conservation activities (shown in orange), the condition of the relevant Environmental Asset at the start of a monitoring period of the most recent Monitoring Period must be greater than the project’s conservation threshold (shown by the dotted line).
A NaturePlus® Project can only be issued with NaturePlus® Credits from conservation activities after it has been issued with NaturePlus® Credits for restoration activities. See the NaturePlus® Standard for more details.
While in the pilot phase, GreenCollar has administered the NaturePlus® Registry, and sustainability consultancy ERM provides third-party audits of the Registry to ensure accountability for the NaturePlus® Credits generated in this testing and validation phase. Longer term, the administration of the NaturePlus® Registry will be passed to an independent external administrator.
Projects
The NaturePlus® Standard recognises different levels of conservation value by identifying where projects overlap with Key Biodiversity Areas and threatened ecosystems or species populations. Credits generated across a land or seascape are categorised into tiers according to whether they overlap areas of state, national or international significance.
Pilot projects in Australia include:
* Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999)
** Listed as threatened by the relevant State
Species identified on NaturePlus® projects undergoing validation or successfully validated.
NaturePlus® Standard.
The NaturePlus® Standard provides the rules that all projects must comply with to be validated as NaturePlus® Projects and generate NaturePlus® Credits. It also sets out the requirements for the Registry in which projects are listed and credits are issued and transferred.
NaturePlus® Guide.
Standards and methodologies are often complex. The NaturePlus® Guide has been developed to help explain how elements of the scheme works and how the scheme interacts with the Accounting for Nature® Framework.
NaturePlus® Claims Guidance.
Investors should note that making accurate claims about biodiversity credit use is essential. The NaturePlus® Claims Guide has been developed to provide guidance for investors looking to make claims around NaturePlus® Credit investment.
Report: State of the Voluntary Biodiversity Market.
Biodiversity credit schemes can help bridge the gap between existing levels of public sector funding and the scale of investment required to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. In this report, environmental consultancy Pollination identifies four key design considerations that emerging credit schemes should incorporate and outlines six key areas of development over the next five years.
Disclaimer.
INCUBATION PERIOD & ADMINISTRATION OF NEW PRODUCTS
Over the next six to twelve months, Accounting for Nature (AfN) will incubate a suite of new products, guided by AfN-developed rule documents. During this incubation phase, AfN anticipates that users may identify errors and suggest improvements. Accordingly, related information, product guides and rule documents will be updated periodically. AfN reserves the right to revise these documents at its discretion and accepts no liability for any resulting changes. The disclaimer above applies to all new products supported by AfN.
AfN will serve as the administrator of these products during the incubation period. After the incubation concludes, the administration will be licensed to Nxt.Nature.
Last update: 16 September 2025