WSP buyout signals a scramble for scarce Queensland ecologists
A backed-up planning schedule, more measured government processes and a shortage of specialist environmental consultants were reshaping Queensland’s ecology services sector.
The shift was underlined by the recent buyout of Brisbane-based ecologists e2m by global environmental services company WSP.
WSP agreed in July 2026 to acquire e2m, a Queensland ecology and environmental consultancy, in a deal still subject to regulatory approval.
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The two firms will operate independently until the transaction is finalised.
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E2m brings more than 60 staff across terrestrial ecology, biodiversity offsets, spatial services, environmental analytics and compliance.
The acquisition supports WSP’s 2025–2027 Australian Strategic Activation Plan to scale up its environmental consulting.
The aim was to gain control of more specialists, biodiversity consultancy earthtrade’s director Thomas Key said.
“Every sector’s busy,” he said. “You’ve got mining going, gangbusters, you’ve got wind farm developers going through, solar farms, batteries, roads and hospitals.
“All of these businesses, from an environmental perspective, need ecology assessments to meet regulatory approval and there’re not enough ecologists.
“E2M is a Brisbane based business founded less than 15 years ago. WSP is buying them out to increase their ecology team.”
Mr Key predicted the big four consultancy firms would soon add ecology services.
The opportunities stemmed from increasingly complex legislation, such as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, driving a rush on services.
“There’s environmental legislation like this, all over the world. There is private equity investing millions and millions of dollars into ecology because it’s such a good money maker, because ecologists are ecologists, they’re not big business people.”
“The big thing at the moment is that a lot of people are trying to get as much as they can done state-wise while you have LNP in power. There’s also tension with the Labor Federal Government.
“For the miners, the current complaint is that the (state) government is too fast in approving applications. That, all of a sudden, their federal approvals are out of whack because the state’s already approved the project, subject to federal approval . And it’s almost the reverse for renewables.”
Other factors included a move to set the assessment standard in line with the size of the proposed development, Mr Key said.
Changes made last year to the EPBC Act were meant to streamline approvals by aligning federal and state legislation.
The Queensland Productivity Commission will hand down its final report on the federal EPBC reforms to the Queensland Government by 13 April 2027.
Developers and landholders can talk to earthtrade for a commercial read on their environmental approvals before they commit. Call the earthtrade office on 1300 036 401.