Wet Tropics rainforest restoration project secures CO2 Australia’s fourth Environmental Account under the Accounting for Nature® Framework

Wet Tropics rainforest restoration project secures CO2 Australia’s fourth Environmental Account under the Accounting for Nature® Framework

CO2 Australia is proud to announce the certification of our fourth Environmental Account under the Accounting for Nature® Framework; the Saltwater Creek Carbon Project.

CO2 Australia achieved certification of Australia’s first Environmental Account by Accounting for Nature (AfN) in September 2021, with subsequent accounts certified in December 2022 and October 2023.

The Saltwater Creek Carbon project is a 25-year, $3.74 million collaboration between the Queensland Government and CO2 Australia in the Wet Tropics Bioregion of north Queensland. The project will re-establish approximately 55 hectares of tropical rainforest and eucalypt forest communities endemic to the region, incorporating 55 rainforest species into the plantings, which will result in improved connectivity between the property and the Mossman Gorge section of the Daintree National Park; part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. With confirmed threatened species records immediately adjacent the project such as southern cassowary, spot-tailed quoll, common mistfrog and tapping green-eyed frog, the project will also restore habitat and facilitate dispersal of these species across the broader landscape.

Accounting for Nature® accredited asset experts and CO2 Australia ecologists Dr Cath Bowler and Dr Jarrad Cousin completed all the necessary fieldwork and reporting to support the Environmental Account. This was undertaken using CO2 Australia’s own AfN-accredited Native Vegetation Econd® method. Following a rigorous independent audit, the Environmental Account was certified by AfN in September 2024.

If you would like any assistance with establishing an Environmental Account under the Accounting for Nature® Framework, whether it be for a carbon planting project, grazing enterprise or to track the condition of a natural area estate, please feel free to contact CO2 Australia and we will help you on the path to accounting for nature.

 

 

Wilga Park Project – LRF/Accounting For Nature®

Wilga Park Project – LRF/Accounting For Nature®

Wilga Park Project – LRF/Accounting For Nature®

The Restoring Box-Gum Grassy Woodland for Threatened Species of the Nandewar Bioregion (Wilga Park) Project is a 25-year, $1.96 million collaboration between the Queensland Government and CO2 Australia to deliver approximately 110 ha of degraded land restored to a natural functioning ecosystem; providing habitat for threatened species, landscape connectivity and climate resilience.

Revegetation areas will re-establish vegetation communities consistent with White Box – Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland; a critically endangered Threatened Ecological Community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth; EPBC Act).

Importantly, the Environmental Account area will contribute to filling in previously cleared areas associated with more productive lowland soils; connecting with extensive areas of upland remnant vegetation communities adjacent the project area. Ongoing quarterly biodiversity surveys undertaken on the property since 2017 by CO2 Australia ecologists have confirmed the presence of a number of threatened species listed under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld) and/or the EPBC Act, including squatter pigeon, painted honeyeater, hooded robin, brown treecreeper, diamond firetail, southern whiteface and Crane’s macrozamia. There are also confirmed recent records of other threatened species on the property, including the spot-tailed quoll.

The goal of the Environmental Account is to monitor and track improvement in biodiversity co-benefits associated with the restoration project through the calculation of Native Vegetation Econd®. Ongoing monitoring of the Account will be undertaken to help inform management decisions, including Econd® surveys by CO2 Australia ecologists in accordance with the accredited CO2 Australia Native Vegetation Condition Monitoring Method.  Other activities include monitoring and control of weeds, and the assessment of fire breaks and fuel loads to reduced likelihood of wildfire events impacting on the success of the planting sites and surrounding intact remnant vegetation. Further opportunities to improve biodiversity co-benefits of the project will continue to be explored for the life of the project, based on the outcomes of Econd® assessments.

Client
Accounting for Nature®, BirdLife Australia, Queensland Land Restoration Fund

Location
Southern Queensland

Dates
2017 – present

Industry
Government, conservation

Services
Revegetation, environmental accounting, fauna surveys and monitoring

Key benefits

Restoration of a critically endangered ecological community

Improving habitat for threatened species, landscape connectivity and climate resilience

Leading innovation and progress in environmental accounting

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Project Lift Offset Delivery & Management – Gold Coast Airport

Project Lift Offset Delivery & Management – Gold Coast Airport

Project Lift Offset Delivery & Management – Gold Coast Airport

CO2 Australia has a long history of successful collaboration with Gold Coast Airport, having been engaged since 2015 to support the development of approvals documentation, management plans and offset monitoring for Project LIFT.   

Project LIFT involved the expansion of the existing terminal building and apron, located in Coolangatta; straddling the border of Queensland (QLD) and New South Wales (NSW). CO2 Australia was engaged to develop and deliver the offset program in order to acquit the project’s offset requirements. This involved determining offset requirements under Commonwealth, QLD and NSW offset frameworks.   

Having established that offsets were only required under the EPBC Act Environmental Offsets Policy, we used our compliant offset GIS database to identify potentially suitable offset properties in NSW. A comprehensive offset strategy and package was developed and approved by the Commonwealth Government.   

CO2 Australia has subsequently been engaged by Gold Coast Airport to implement the strategy, which included landholder engagement, preparation of offset access agreements, field verification of offsets (incorporating the now superseded NSW BioBanking Assessment Methodology) and development of offset area management plans. CO2 Australia successfully gained approval of these plans by the Commonwealth Government, with CO2 Australia continuing to engage with Gold Coast Airport to manage and monitor the offset areas across several years.  

Client
Gold Coast Airport, Queensland Airports Limited

Location
SEQ, northern NSW

Dates
2015 – present

Industry
Transportation

Services
Offset documentation, delivery, management and monitoring

Key benefits

Offsets assessed under QLD, NSW and Commonwealth offset frameworks

Trusted provider of both advisory and field-based works over almost a decade

Balancing growing industry needs with environmental stewardship

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GLNG Project Offset Delivery & Monitoring – Santos

GLNG Project Offset Delivery & Monitoring – Santos

GLNG Project Offset Delivery & Monitoring – Santos

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.

Client
Santos Ltd

Location
Central Queensland

Dates
2010 – present

Industry
Resources

Services
Impact assessment, offset documentation and delivery, offset monitoring

Key benefits

Approved Offset Area Management Plans across three project approvals and six offset properties

Successful, ongoing client relationship spanning 14+ years

Improvement and protection of habitat for over 19 threatened species, 2 threatened ecological communities, 37 migratory birds

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Meteor Downs South Offset Monitoring and Reporting – Sojitz Blue

Meteor Downs South Offset Monitoring and Reporting – Sojitz Blue

Meteor Downs South Offset Monitoring and Reporting – Sojitz Blue

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.

Client
Sojitz Blue Pty Ltd

Location
Central Queensland

Dates
2016 – present

Industry
Resources

Services
Impact assessment, offset documentation and delivery, offset monitoring

Key benefits

Our offset management plans and monitoring methods are acknowledged by the Commonwealth Government as representing industry standard

Quicker timeline for assessment and approval of management plans

New grass species discovered by our Head of Ecology & Innovation Dr Jarrad Cousin

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