Markets for biodiversity have the power to mobilize new sources of capital for conservation, but new regulated markets will likely take several years to develop and may never develop in some areas where conservation funding is most needed.

Gopher Tortoise

Private sector demand for biodiversity of conservation outside of the U.S., Australia and Europe may actually materialize fastest in the voluntary market / quasi regulated market.

A key function of a registry is to ensure no double selling of credits. Therefore, a registry that facilitates issuance, transfer and credible independent third party retirement is crucial to help the voluntary market grow. It is the ability to credibly show retirement of credits (i.e. transferred into an inward flow account only permanently) that evidences mitigation of an ecological impact, critical to the voluntary market where brand and credibility matters to the buyers.

For more on voluntary offsetting see the Global Programs page.