Queensland Trust for Nature

What Queensland Trust for Nature does

Queensland Trust for Nature (QTFN) is a registered charity and private land conservation organization established by Trust Deed around 2004, governed by Trustees appointed by the Queensland Government through the Department of Environment and Science. The corporate trustee entity is Landscapes Queensland Limited (ACN: 630 495 340). QTFN's core operational mechanism is a Revolving Fund: the organization acquires ecologically significant land, restores it, secures it with permanent conservation covenants, and sells it onto the private market to conservation-minded buyers, with proceeds reinvested into new conservation acquisitions. The fund has protected over 101,587 hectares as Nature Refuges, with an additional 233,082 hectares protected through assistance with the Nature Refuge process and more than 301,000 habitat trees planted across Queensland.

The organization's product surface spans the Revolving Fund, the Queensland Government-funded Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program (KHRPP), a portfolio of conserved demonstration and research properties (Aroona Station, Avoid Island Nature Refuge, Koala Crossing, Daintree Lot 83), carbon and biodiversity offset programs, and real-world classroom education partnerships including C4RE citizen science camps. Notable technical components include adoption of the Miyawaki accelerated reforestation method, the Accounting for Nature Environmental Condition Index (Econd) for biodiversity measurement, and TNFD-aligned nature-related financial disclosure reporting launched in 2024.

QTFN serves a diversified set of customer segments including individual impact investors, private landholders, primary producers, Traditional Owner groups, corporates pursuing ESG and biodiversity offset objectives, universities and researchers, and government. Revenue is generated across five streams: Revolving Fund property sales, donations and gifts in wills (facilitated through EveryWill), government grants (including the $8.6M Brigalow Belt and $4.6M KHRPP programs), corporate partnerships (Commonwealth Bank, Greenfleet, EY, MinterEllison), and environmental market transactions (carbon sequestration and biodiversity offsets, supported by partners such as Greencollar). The organization operates across six Queensland bioregions with a small team of approximately 16 staff and contractors, supported by a six-member Board of Trustees.

Name

Queensland Trust for Nature

Legal name

Landscapes Queensland Limited as trustee for Queensland Trust For Nature

Website

https://qtfn.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Queensland Trust for Nature is a Queensland-registered charity that acquires, restores, and on-sells ecologically significant land under conservation covenants through a Revolving Fund, delivering habitat restoration across six bioregions for landholders, investors, primary producers, Traditional Owners, corporates, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Revolving Fund Property Sales: QTFN acquires land, restores it, and sells it to conservation-minded buyers. Proceeds are reinvested into new conservation projects, creating a sustainable funding cycle for ongoing land protection.
2. Donations and Gifts in Wills: Individual donors can contribute through direct donations or include QTFN in their estate planning through gifts in wills. QTFN partners with EveryWill to facilitate free will writing for supporters.
3. Government Grants and Partnerships: Major government-funded programs including the $8.6 million Brigalow Belt koala project and $4.6 million Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program funded by Queensland Government.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with corporations for environmental offsets, ESG initiatives, and collaborative conservation projects. Companies like Greenfleet, Commonwealth Bank, and others co-invest in restoration activities.
5. Environmental Markets: Carbon sequestration projects and biodiversity offset programs that generate returns through environmental markets, enabling funding for large-scale restoration.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Queensland Trust for Nature (QTFN) operates a Revolving Fund model that acquires ecologically significant private land, restores it, protects it with conservation covenants, and sells it onto the private market, reinvesting proceeds into new conservation projects. The organisation also delivers the Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program (KHRPP), manages a portfolio of conserved properties (Aroona Station, Avoid Island Nature Refuge, Koala Crossing, Daintree Lot 83), and provides carbon and biodiversity offset programs, real-world classroom education partnerships, and TNFD-aligned nature reporting services.

Product overview

Queensland Trust for Nature operates as a private land conservation organization that protects, restores, and connects people to Queensland's biodiversity. The organization's core offering is its Revolving Fund—a market-based mechanism that acquires ecologically significant land, restores it, secures it with permanent conservation covenants, and sells it to private landowners who commit to ongoing protection. This is complemented by the Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program (KHRPP), a government-funded initiative delivering habitat restoration across southeast Queensland. QTFN manages a portfolio of conserved properties including Aroona Station (a working cattle property serving as an education and demonstration site), Avoid Island Nature Refuge (a turtle nesting sanctuary), Koala Crossing, and Daintree holdings. The organization also delivers carbon and biodiversity offset programs, education partnerships including real-world classroom experiences, and environmental market expertise including TNFD-aligned reporting. Together, these programs demonstrate that biodiversity conservation can generate measurable environmental, economic, social, and cultural returns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Revolving Fund: QTFN's core mechanism for acquiring land, restoring it, protecting it with conservation covenants, and selling it onto the private market.
• Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program (KHRPP)

Products and services

• Revolving Fund A strategic land acquisition program where QTFN purchases ecologically significant land, restores it, protects it with conservation covenants, and sells it onto the private market while ensuring permanent conservation outcomes. Over 100,000 hectares protected to date through this mechanism.
• Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program (KHRPP) A partnership program funded by the Queensland Government to restore koala habitat through revegetation and assisted natural regeneration on private and council land in southeast Queensland, implementing ecological burns and supporting landholders.
• Carbon and Biodiversity Offset Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 101,587 hectares declared as nature refuges through Revolving Property Fund
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Queensland GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner providing funding for major conservation programs including the $8.6m Brigalow Belt koala project and $4.6m Koala Habitat Restoration Partnership Program. QTFN is governed by Trustees appointed through the Department of Environment and Science.
• GreenfleetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization that partnered with QTFN on Koala Crossing property, planting 90,000+ trees since 2016 to create koala habitat in the Flinders Karawatha corridor.
• Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation (C4)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner co-investing in Gurrbum Nature Refuge (purchased together in 2019) and collaborating on Cassowary habitat restoration. C4 purchased Gurrbum from QTFN in 2024 to become sole caretaker.
• University of QueenslandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Koala Ecology Group studying koala populations at Koala Crossing. Also collaborated on biodiversity research and environmental education programs.
• Koinmerburra Aboriginal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraditional Owner partner for Avoid Island, developing Memorandum of Understanding for two-ways land management approach on the island.
• Minter EllisonsupportingOthersMajor law firm providing pro bono legal support. Partner Antra Hood serves on QTFN Board while also being a Partner at Minter Ellison.
• Lachlan Hughes FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting regenerative agriculture education. QTFN is a sponsor and provides ecological assistance to scholars. Ben Heathwood (QTFN Land and Assets Manager) participated in the program.
• Little Liverpool Range Initiative (LLRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partnership coordinating BioBlitz events and biodiversity surveys on Aroona Station, bringing together landholders, ecologists, and volunteers.
• Wonder of SciencesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner supporting student STEM experiences and conservation leadership programs, including ambassador attendance atAvoid Island camps.
• Accounting For NaturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFramework provider for environmental condition measurement. QTFN uses their Econd scoring system and has staff certified as AfN Accredited Experts for biodiversity accounting.
• EYsupportingOthersProfessional services firm providing advisory support as part of corporate partnership for sustainability and environmental reporting.
• Terrain Natural Resource ManagementsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional NRM organization supporting conservation efforts in the Wet Tropics region.
• WWFsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organization partnering on biodiversity protection initiatives in Queensland.
• Healthy Land and WatersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional NRM organization supporting environmental conservation and waterway health in South East Queensland.
• Conservation Volunteers AustraliasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization coordinating volunteer participation in conservation activities on QTFN properties.
• Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance of private land conservation organizations. QTFN participates in annual Private Land Conservation conferences.
• QUTsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner for research collaborations and student education programs.
• GreencollarsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental markets specialist supporting biodiversity and carbon offset projects.
• Rainforest RescuesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partnering on rainforest restoration in the Wet Tropics region.
• Jagun AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous land management organization conducting cultural burning practices at Aroona Station, working alongside local rangers and landholders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Others

• WWF-Australia:
• Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA): National peak body for private land conservation organisations of which QTFN is a member. Not a direct competitor but a direct ecosystem peer - convenes the sector and convenes annual Private Land Conservation conferences that QTFN attends.

Direct peers

• Trust for Nature (Victoria): Victorian state counterpart operating the same Revolving Fund / conservation covenant model. Most direct comparison: same charity structure, same covenant mechanism, same private land conservation focus, just in a different Australian state.
• Greening Australia: National nonprofit focused on reforestation and landscape restoration with a similar native-species planting ethos to QTFN. Directly comparable on habitat restoration outcomes (trees planted, restoration partnerships) and carbon/biodiversity market involvement.
• Australian Wildlife Conservancy: Australia's largest private conservation owner-operator managing over 6.5 million hectares for threatened species. Highly comparable as a private, science-driven conservation nonprofit working with Traditional Owners and corporate partners across similar bioregions.
• Greenfleet: Australian environmental nonprofit focused on native reforestation for carbon offset purposes. Directly comparable on native tree planting, carbon sequestration outcomes, and corporate partnership model; partnered with QTFN on Koala Crossing.
• Bush Heritage Australia: National private land conservation nonprofit acquiring and managing reserves for biodiversity. Closely comparable mission and property-acquisition strategy; key difference is Bush Heritage typically retains ownership long-term rather than revolving.

Broad incumbents

• Nature Conservancy Australia: Australian arm of The Nature Conservancy with a much larger global footprint and broader programs. Overlaps in private land conservation, science-based approach, and corporate partnership model, but operates at significantly larger scale.
• The Nature Conservancy (Global): World's largest conservation NGO with extensive work in conservation finance, environmental markets, and nature-based solutions. Sets the global standard for science-driven private land conservation that QTFN's Revolving Fund and TNFD work emulate.

Regional players

• Terrain Natural Resource Management: Regional NRM body covering the Wet Tropics region of North Queensland. A regional peer working on conservation, land management, and biodiversity outcomes in geographies that overlap with QTFN's Wet Tropics operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/QldTFN
• Facebookfacebook.com/QldTrustforNature
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qtfn
• Instagraminstagram.com/qldtrustfornature

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queensland Trust for Nature