To honour the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, we spoke with Dr Bram Mason, Bank Australia’s Nature and Biodiversity Manager, about how the banking sector – and every sector – has a role to play in protecting our natural world.
When you think of the banking sector, you likely think of apps, interest rates, and office buildings – not ecosystems, threatened species, or native bushland. But according to Bram Mason, Nature and Biodiversity Manager at Bank Australia, the two are far more intertwined than we realise.
“Every industry is dependent on and influences nature somehow,” Bram explains. “Whether it’s the land we live on, the water we drink, the food we eat or the materials used to build our homes – all of it has roots in natural systems.”
The financial industry’s impact on biodiversity
When it comes to biodiversity loss, the financial sector plays both a direct and indirect (‘upstream’ or ‘downstream’) role.
Direct impacts are the explicit results of business operations. “We have office buildings that we work out of,” Bram says. “For those buildings, we take water, dispose of water, take products, dispose of waste, take energy, and release energy in some form as well. All of those interactions have an impact on nature.”
There are also indirect impacts, known as ‘upstream’ or ‘downstream’, which – in banking – are largely related to what a bank finances. One example is funding land use change, when a forest or native ecosystem is transferred into a human resource, like for growing food. “Take agriculture,” Bram says. “If a farmer comes to a bank seeking a loan to expand their land, and they use that funding to clear native vegetation for cropping, that’s a finance-enabled impact on biodiversity.”
Even our homes have consequences. “Every house sits on land that used to be an ecosystem,” Bram says. “A bank may have financed that change, whether last year or 30 years ago.”
Measuring and minimising Bank Australia’s impact
Recognising the links between banking and biodiversity, Bank Australia has voluntarily signed up to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), a framework helping businesses measure and reduce their impact on biodiversity. For the time being, we’re one of only a handful of early adopters in Australia.
“The TNFD encourages us to assess both our direct and financed impacts,” Bram says. “From how our office buildings use water and energy, to the downstream effects of our loan book – it’s all connected.”
While many in the finance world (and beyond) argue there’s not enough data to measure biodiversity impacts, Bram strongly disagrees. “There’s heaps of data out there,” he says. “Environmental impact assessments, biodiversity studies, state and federal guidelines. It might not be perfect, but it’s enough to start. And if you don’t start, you never get better.”
Bank Australia has already engaged external experts to review its loan book and begin the complex but important process of mapping biodiversity risks. But for Bram, this isn’t just about Bank Australia. It’s about showing the wider industry what’s possible. “We’re proud to be a test-and-learn case,” he says. “Full credit to our board and executive – they’ve backed us to try things, learn from them, and share what works.”
Bringing banking and biodiversity together
In 2023, 87% of our customers told us they want to see us take action on biodiversity loss – and as a customer-owned bank, we listened. That’s why we’ve moved beyond harm minimisation, aiming to be a positive force for natural habitat restoration.
One of our most tangible nature-positive projects is our conservation reserve, over 2,100 hectares of protected and restored land in western Victoria. “When we first purchased the Minimay site in 2008, you could see straight to the main road,” Bram recalls. “Now, native buloke and wattle have grown so much you can’t see more than a few metres. It’s a thriving habitat.”
He adds that this isn’t just good PR. The initiative is central to the bank’s long-term strategy. “It’s about understanding what it really takes to restore land – costs, partnerships, and ongoing care. And we're learning a lot by working closely with Traditional Owners, like the Barengi Gadjin Land Council.”
Bank Australia is also leading the way with its nature-aligned lending products for those who want to buy land to protect or restore its natural value. This could mean buying a “bush block” and planting native trees and vegetation, or even using a covenant on the title to protect the land from future development.
“Historically, banks have seen these kinds of properties as risky,” Bram says. “But we made small tweaks so that people who want to preserve bushland – even with no plans to build – can get financing, provided they meet basic lending criteria.”
The goal is to support buyers and conservation groups alike. “We saw a barrier for organisations like Trust for Nature, who buy and restore land then resell it. There weren’t enough buyers because banks weren’t supporting those purchases. Now, we are.”
Every sector, every person
At the heart of Bram’s message is a simple but powerful truth: we are nature.
“We live in a time of hyper-convenience,” he says. “We value products, apps, tech – all of which come from somewhere. Every phone, every item in your trolley, every building, it all starts with nature.”
He believes the sooner we reconnect those dots, the better. “Whether you're a farmer, a builder, a banker or just someone deciding to walk instead of drive, we all have a role to play when it comes to protecting nature and biodiversity.”
And when asked if biodiversity protection really belongs in finance? “Money might make the world go round,” Bram says, “but the world is nature. And we can’t afford to forget that.”
Learn more about Bank Australia’s nature and biodiversity strategy.
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