Business Planning and Management Advisory Services

NaRLA’s business planning and management advisory services focus on assisting landholders and small business operators interested in establishing small business operations related directly or indirectly to the natural environment and nature conservation.

Advice will be provided on such matters as:

• ways in which the values of the natural environment can be harnessed as a resource for business operations;
• the aesthetic, health, social, environmental, educational and financial benefits of incorporating nature conservation as a factor in business planning;
• planning, establishment, organisation, marketing, and operational management of businesses and private activities based on or involving the environment, nature conservation, and biodiversity, such as:
  • primary production
  • eco-tourism
  • outdoor education (primary, secondary, tertiary and community)
  • adventure tourism
  • real estate
  • spiritual retreat centres
  • health retreat centres
  • Indigenous cultural education
  • fauna and flora reserves
  • re-vegetation
  • bush-walking
  • bush camp management in remote areas
  • natural history guiding
• economic aspects of the integration of nature conservation and business activities (options, benefits, problems, solutions);
• integration of nature-oriented and business-oriented quality control; and
• training of staff working in nature-oriented businesses.

If required, NaRLA can provide custom-designed education and field training programs dealing with any of the subjects listed above. If you have any suggestions on a nature-related small business educational activity that you, or your friends, staff or business associates would find useful, please contact us and tell us about it, so we can canvass the level of wider interest in the topic amongst our members and others.

NaRLA does not provide financial advice.

Income Diversification Options in Rural Communities

During September and October 2005, NaRLA conducted a one-day workshop entitled New Directions: Income Diversification Options in Rural Communities in Gympie, Toowoomba, Cairns and Rockhampton. The workshop focussed on income diversification options in rural and semi-rural communities, processes for evaluation and selection of options (taking particular account of both environmental and economic sustainability), the essential steps for planning, establishing and managing a new business enterprise, and the advantages of “co-operative partnerships” as a particularly useful and cost-effective means of establishing and operating new small business ventures in rural communities.

The workshops were attended by Nature Refuge, Land for Wildlife and other landholders, land management consultants, Local government officers, Landcare and Catchment Management Group managers and extension officers, and members of the tourism and real estate industries. The workshop was so well received by all who attended, that NaRLA will be repeating it again at selected locations around Queensland in the first half of 2006.

Following the success of the workshops, discussions are planned between NaRLA and representatives of local government and land management groups whose representatives attended the workshops to arrange workshops tailored to meet the particular needs of each of the groups’ members and clients. This custom design service is open to any group or organisation who would like to offer NaRLA's income diversification workshop to their members or clients.

If you are interested in having an Income Diversification workshop specially tailored for your group's needs, or if you would like to arrange a private consultation to examine and evaluate income diversification options based on or related to nature conservation or cultural features of the land, please register your interest here.