How Business Can Partner for Purpose and Protect Land/Biodiversity

Inspired by our conversation with Rachel Lowry, CEO, Bush Heritage Australia

In business, we often talk about long-term value. But in today’s world, there is no resilient economy, no enduring prosperity without a thriving natural environment.

The warming planet and biodiversity crises are today’s business risks, but they are also opportunities to lead differently, collaboratively and with purpose.  At the intersection of environment, business, and law lies the chance to create something better, for all our stakeholders, for the ecosystems and communities in which we all live.

This idea was brought to life in our recent conversation on the NEXT Podcast with Rachel Lowry, CEO of Bush Heritage Australia, an organisation that is redefining what leadership in this space looks like in Australia.

Bush Heritage Australia is working toward a future where healthy country is protected forever. Their 2030 strategy, to double their conservation impact to 2.4 million hectares, is grounded in scientific rigor, community partnership, and deep cultural respect.

CEO of Bush Heritage Australia, Rachel Lowrey’s message is not just about land, it’s about leadership. “If we’ve done it before,” she told us, “we can do it again. And do it bigger, smarter, and more inclusively.” She calls on the business community to think beyond compliance and offsets, and to see nature as a long-term partner in prosperity. After all, sustainable water, fertile soil, pollination, climate stability aren’t just environmental issues, they are economic infrastructure.

Law as an Enabler of Positive Change

If business is the driver of sustainability, law is the enabler. Legal frameworks give shape to ambition. They make conservation efforts real, measurable, and enforceable.

Bush Heritage Australia’s work often relies on strong partnerships—to fundraise, secure land, establish conservation covenants, ensure consent and collaboration with Traditional Owners, and to develop robust governance models for cross-sector collaboration.

This is where the role of lawyers becomes transformative. Lawyers help bridge the gap between vision and execution. They help organisations structure deals that protect biodiversity, design governance that respects cultural heritage, and ensure integrity across sustainability strategies.

As Rachel put it, “When partnerships are built on shared values—even if we come with different motivations—they can deliver real and lasting change.”

Across the private sector, we are seeing a shift. Sustainability is no longer an add-on—it’s becoming core to business strategy.

Innovative companies are already moving:

• Tech firms are co-developing AI-driven conservation tools alongside NGOs.
• Retailers and platforms are embedding regeneration into their supply chains and payment systems (e.g., GreenPay).
• Agribusinesses are co-investing in biodiversity corridors and climate-resilient land management.

These are not isolated projects. They are indicators of a new business model, one that recognises nature as both a stakeholder and a value driver.

In this model, the legal function doesn’t sit on the sidelines. It helps design the rules of engagement. It protects cultural and ecological integrity. It ensures that environmental progress is not only ambitious, but durable.

Rachel shared practical steps for any business looking to become a stronger ally of nature:

• Know your impact. Understand how your operations and supply chains depend on and affect the natural world.
• Partner with purpose. Work with organisations like Bush Heritage to co-create solutions rooted in science and cultural knowledge.
• Embrace humility and transparency. Sustainability is a journey. Progress matters more than perfection.
• Back innovation that respects tradition. From AI-powered land management to cultural burning practices, the best solutions honour both the new and the ancient.

And crucially: embed nature into your business decisions, not just in strategy sessions, but in legal agreements, governance frameworks, and performance metrics.

Across industries and sectors, we are no longer talking in terms of trade-offs between nature and growth. We are learning to ask better questions. What does it look like to grow in ways that regenerate? To lead in ways that restore? Business are bringing capital, influence, and innovation. The legal profession must bring its frameworks, safeguards, and wisdom.

At KWM, we look to build with nature, not against it, to leave behind something we are proud of.