As a founding member of the Australian Government’s Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot, the SWCC team has been busy helping landholders to navigate the world of carbon farming.
The aim of the Carbon + Biodiversity (C+B) Pilot is simple: ensure that landholders who plant trees for carbon credits build in biodiversity benefits, and get paid extra to recognise the value of building healthy ecosystems. We got on board with the Pilot as we recognise that planting trees is great for climate change, but that planting huge areas of monoculture on high-quality agricultural land is not the answer.
We encourage careful planting of the right trees, in the right place, at the right time. Trees can be an amazing tool for shade, salinity, soil health, shelter, amenity, erosion control and habitat. They can and should complement a farming enterprise, rather than replacing it!
Area of eroded land to be revegetated through a biodiverse carbon planting
To this end, we’ve been working with four successful C+B applicants in the South West to develop land management strategies to ensure that:
- Project costs and income are clear
- Plantings are in appropriate areas of the landscape, using our Biosequestration Mapping Tool
- All the requirements of the Federal Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund are met, in order to access carbon credits
- Species are consistent with local native vegetation complexes
- An appropriate mix of groundcover, shrub and tree species are planted for the soil type, condition, topography, rainfall etc.
- Canopy cover will be sufficient to meet the requirements of the Pilot
- Plantings are protected from grazing, weeds and pests
- Fire risks are managed.
These Land Management Strategies provide all the information required to register with the ERF and start a profitable, ecologically sound native species planting project.
If you’re interested in having a Land Management Strategy developed for your land, please get in touch.
