Finding an environmental offset site

Strategic offset investment corridors

Strategic Offset Investment Corridors (SOICs) identify some of the best places in the landscape for environmental offsets. They mainly consist of core areas of largely intact remnant vegetation, generally associated with protected areas such as national parks, or areas that provide important links between those core areas.

SOICs make offsets easier and cheaper to find. They provide income opportunities for landholders willing to provide offsets on their land. They also provide strategic conservation benefits for important environmental values, such as threatened regional ecosystems and species that have been significantly impacted by development elsewhere.

The Queensland Government is identifying SOICs in each bioregion of Queensland with local input from regional Natural Resource Management groups, ecology experts, landholders and local government.

Currently, there have been three SOICs identified in Queensland: Galilee Basin, Southern Brigalow Belt and New England Tableland and the Western Queensland - Gulf Plains, Northwest Highlands, Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country Bioregions.

The following maps and information on these SOICs is available:

• The Galilee Basin SOIC consisting of:
  • The Galilee Basin Offset Strategy (PDF, 1.42MB)
  • Galilee Basin Offset Corridors map (PDF, 222KB)
  • Galilee Basin Offset Strategy overview
• The Southern Brigalow Belt and New England Tableland SOIC consisting of:
  • Southern Brigalow Belt and New England Tableland overview map (PDF, 1.24MB)
  • Southern Brigalow Belt and New England Tableland Methodology Report (PDF, 1.53MB)
• The Western Queensland - Gulf Plains, Northwest Highlands, Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country Bioregions SOIC consisting of:
• Western Queensland – Gulf Plains, Northwest Highlands, Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country Bioregions overview map (PDF, 1.76MB)
• Western Queensland – Gulf Plains, Northwest Highlands, Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country Bioregions SOIC Methodology Report (PDF, 1.38MB)

Detailed spatial mapping of the Galilee Basin SOIC, Southern Brigalow Belt and New England Tableland SOIC and Western Queensland – Gulf Plains, Northwest Highlands, Mitchell Grass Downs and Channel Country Bioregions SOIC are available for download from the Queensland Spatial Catalogue – QSpatial website (search “offset”). These spatial mapping datasets identify State environmental values included in each of the SOICs.

Please note that the spatial mapping datasets for each of the SOIC areas have been created for computers with GIS capabilities.

For further information in relation to SOICs, including information for landholders seeking to register their interest in providing environmental offsets, and proponents or offset brokers seeking offset sites for the potential provision of offset services, please email Offsets@des.qld.gov.au.

In this guide:

1. Advanced offsets
2. List of potential offset sites
3. Direct benefit management plans
4. Strategic offset investment corridors

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