CO2 Australia has been assisting Santos since 2010 in the identification, assessment and development of offset options to acquit biodiversity offset requirements for the Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas (GLNG) Project under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Environmental offsets for the impacts (to date) associated with three approvals for the GLNG Project are to be acquitted across six offset properties. CO2 Australia successfully developed and achieved approval of Offset Area Management Plans (OAMPs) for all offset areas on each of the properties. Each OAMP outlines management and monitoring required to achieve interim performance targets and completion criteria. The expected outcome of the combined OAMPs is to fully acquit the offset obligations under each of the EPBC Act approvals.  

CO2 Australia was subsequently engaged to deliver the field-based offset monitoring at all six properties in accordance with each property’s respective OAMP for an initial period of three years. This monitoring includes:

• offset area inspections,
• biomass monitoring,
• fuel load monitoring,
• weed monitoring (using a methodology drafted by CO2 Australia and endorsed by the Commonwealth Government),
• vegetation condition assessments and rapid monitoring events,
• targeted threatened fauna surveys,
• targeted threatened flora surveys,
• photo monitoring, and
• Brigalow stem count.

In addition to on-ground monitoring, this scope of work involves summary reports for each monitoring event and an annual report prepared for each of the six offset properties per calendar year. The annual report summarises results, management actions, recommendations and progress of the offset area in achieving the interim performance targets and completion criteria as set out in the respective OAMPs. This also includes the monitoring of and reporting on surplus areas across all six properties, being managed for future offset opportunities.

CO2 Australia continues to be engaged by Santos to investigate existing and new offset opportunities for developing projects including the identification and ground-truthing of new offset properties, targeted fauna surveys, habitat condition assessments as well as preparation and updating of the relevant offset documentation for approval by the Commonwealth Government.

In 2016, CO2 Australia was engaged by U&D Mining (now Sojitz Blue) to prepare a Matters of National Environmental Significance Management Plan (MNESMP) for their Meteor Downs South project, and an Offset Area Management Plan (OAMP) for the corresponding offset property.

As a means of ensuring a swift assessment and thus approval for the client, CO2 Australia invested significantly in overhauling the content of the traditionally non-committal management plans typically submitted to the Commonwealth Government at that time. As part of this overhaul, CO2 Australia incorporated measurable, repeatable and enforceable elements such as the introduction of interim performance targets and completion criteria for assessing progress toward management objectives. Not only did this overhaul facilitate the transparent implementation of an adaptive management framework into the MNESMP and OAMP, but also resulted in a reduced risk to the client by reducing ambiguity and subjectivity as to the efficacy of management implemented at their mine sites and offset areas. Consequently, the structure and content of those management plans, including the monitoring requirements drafted, were acknowledged by the Commonwealth Government as representing the new industry standard.

As part of those management plans, CO2 Australia also developed approved proprietary methods for monitoring weeds and threatened grass species, as well as adapted standard Commonwealth and State Government methods for monitoring feral pigs, rabbits, wild dogs and feral cats. These methods have since been incorporated into offset monitoring programs for numerous clients, including Sojitz since 2017. Monitoring is undertaken twice a year at each of the properties that includes habitat condition assessments, targeted surveys, photo monitoring and biomass/fuel load monitoring.

Notably, a new and yet undescribed species of grass (Dichanthium sp. affine sericeum) was discovered in 2018 by Dr Jarrad Cousin at the project site. This new-to-science species is currently in the process of being described by the Queensland Herbarium, with additional populations discovered by Dr Cousin during preliminary field assessments at other properties in the greater Springsure-Rolleston area.