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Carbon projects are implemented on non-vegetated land that is clear of forest, with the aim of re-vegetating it to earn credits. To be suitable, your property must have an area of land that has been grazed or clear of forest for at least five years, or be a forestry plantation. From here, we can further determine the eligibility of your property relevant to the chosen project method.

Unfortunately, if your land is primarily covered in trees it may not be suitable. Additionally, purposeful clearing of vegetation in order to register a carbon project would make your property ineligible.

There is no definite minimum size for project, but we will help you determine if the size of your land is suitable by accounting for feasibility and economies of scale. This will depend on the overall costs to run the project on the property, considering potential ACCU yield and operational requirements.

Trees planted for a carbon project are permanent (i.e. for at least 25 years), which means fire, weeds and grazing need to be managed in those areas. CO2 Australia will help develop a management plan to consider these requirements and ensure the most suitable outcomes for you and your property.

Representatives from the Clean Energy Regulator or CO2 Australia may be required to conduct occasional project monitoring on your property. This will always occur with ample notice and preparation.

The income landholders receive from a carbon project will differ depending on the specific project and property information. CO2 Australia can expertly coordinate financial agreements that will benefit our landholders.

There are many benefits associated with increasing healthy vegetation on your property, including improving the quality of your land and water supply. The trees can also increase biodiversity, regulate temperatures, and provide shade and shelter for livestock. There are also economic benefits as project payments can act as an alternative source of revenue.

Project developers requiring offsets will be looking for land that contains certain biodiversity and vegetation values. Areas of remnant or advanced regrowth vegetation may be suitable if it contains:

• threatened ecosystems or vegetation types,
• habitat for threatened plants or animals,
• movement corridors for native animals, especially those linking areas of remnant vegetation or existing conservation areas, and/or
• wetlands.

The size of an offset area will vary depending on what the developer needs to offset and can be a minimum of one up to as much as several thousand hectares. The location of the offset on your property is negotiated between the landholder and the developer, based on location of environmental values, current land management and landholder preference.

Property eligibility is assessed by desktop analysis of the biodiversity and environmental assets present. This is then validated through on-ground assessment, including vegetation mapping and flora and fauna surveys.

An offset agreement is then negotiated and a management plan is developed, which gets approved by the Commonwealth and/or State Governments. From there the offset area will have ongoing monitoring and reporting, expertly managed by CO2 Australia and the developer.

Management of offsets includes activities such as weed and pest animal control, fencing and fire maintenance regimes relevant to the biodiversity matters being protected. Changes to land uses such as grazing may not be required, as long as they do not negatively impact the environmental value. CO2 Australia will help develop a management plan for your property.

Suitably qualified personnel from CO2 Australia may be required to undertake project monitoring on your property. This will be included in any project agreements and occur with ample notice.

There are a range of offset agreement options to suit landholder needs, including financial benefits. It can be a great opportunity to diversify property income, often while continuing existing land uses such as grazing on and around the offset area. Further, environmental offsets contribute to conservation of important species, habitat protection and environmental stewardship.