The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has released a nature positive consultation paper for public comment, inviting feedback from across the built environment sector.
The consultation paper sets out a draft pathway to support nature positive outcomes in the new developments, and GBCA is now calling on stakeholders from across the sector to contribute ideas and insights to help shape the final version.
Developed with guidance from GBCA’s Nature Roadmap Advisory Panel, alongside technical experts and industry stakeholders, the paper builds on years of collaboration through GBCA’s Building with Nature work and Green Star rating tools.
It responds to growing expectations from Governments, investors and communities for strong nature-related risk management and restoration strategies.
GBCA Head of Green Star Strategic Delivery Elham Monavari stated that the paper is the ‘first step’ toward co-creating a roadmap for nature-positive development.
“We’ve worked closely with industry to shape this draft, and we’re now inviting the broader sector to help refine it. This is a critical opportunity to get the settings right, and we need a shared response to tackle these complex challenges.”
Elham Monavari, Head of Green Star Strategic Delivery, GBCA
The paper outlines proposed principes, actions and targets to guide industry, across precincts, buildings, fit-outs and supply chains, in protecting and enhancing biodiversity.
It reflects key national and global frameworks, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNDF).
Importantly, the roadmap acknowledges that nature holds deep cultural, spiritual and community value. It highlights the importance of early and ongoing engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to ensure outcomes are culturally respectful, place-based and enduring.
Feedback is sought on a wide range of themes including land stewardship, circularity, nature metrics and governance, and will inform the development of a roadmap to be released later this year.
The consultation period is open from 26 June to 30 August 2025, with a series of webinars and workshops to be held in key cities. The draft roadmap was developed with the support of GBCA’s Nature Principal Partner GPT.
In March, the GBCA endorsed the Albanese Government’s latest Federal Budget, highlighting its recognition of energy efficiency and sustainable construction as vital components of Australia’s net-zero transition.
