Carbon farming and landscape management

Our preferred future

Enterprises to have a portfolio of realised or potential carbon farming projects that are eligible to be included in enterprise and industry level greenhouse gas (GHG) (carbon) accounts.

How we will work together

Led by industry, supported by government

• Develop an information and education portal about options to incorporate carbon farming into production systems, and the complexities of environmental markets so producers can make informed decisions.
• Through the National Soil Strategy, support advances in soil-carbon measurement and data verification, including other ways to improve cost efficiencies.

Led by government, supported by industry

• Engage with the Clean Energy Regulator to increase carbon farming options for agricultural producers.
• Identify ways to de-risk carbon farming projects by providing regulatory certainty for landscape investment and management.
• Develop guidelines and support for the establishment of silvopastoral systems that provide GHG sequestration and biodiversity benefits.
• Upskill agriculture service providers to provide high-quality, tailored advice on integrating carbon projects into agribusinesses, including the selling or retaining of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU).
• Undertake GHG lifecycle analyses for Queensland’s major forestry systems based on internationally accepted standardised frameworks.

What you can do now

• In partnership with trusted advisors, maintain active awareness of developments in environmental markets, soil carbon technologies and private forestry/silvopastoral opportunities.
• Develop a business plan for building in carbon capture projects in soils and native vegetation.
• Establish or maintain a business GHG ‘offset’ account.
• Determine an acceptable balance between carbon credits sold and retained for future market positioning.

Case study

Goondicum manages its emissions

Goondicum Station in Central Queensland is producing grass-fed, EU-accredited Brangus beef cattle while running a carbon farming project.

Goondicum Pastoral Company is regenerating parts of its property where vegetation has previously been suppressed and managing the timing and extent of grazing. These activities increase carbon abatement and storage and prevent the release of emissions from clearing native vegetation, earning Goondicum’s landholders ACCUs.

Goondicum has a contract to sell a percentage of its credits to the Queensland Government’s Land Restoration Fund (LRF). The LRF pays a premium for credits from carbon projects like Goondicum that deliver environmental and social benefits in addition to storing carbon. The LRF requires the environmental co-benefits to be verified through the Accounting for Nature® Framework for the premium to be paid on top of the ACCU price.

Landholders may retain all or some of their ACCUs to offset their own emissions or sell later. Once an ACCU is sold it can’t be used to offset a farmer’s own emissions.

The co-existence of grazing and regenerative agriculture has made Goondicum Station profitable, even with less cattle per hectare compared to 25 years ago.

Goondicum works with key partners GreenCollar, Accounting for Nature and the Burnett Mary Regional Group.

Future priority focus areas for carbon farming and landscape management

The agriculture industry is actively working to reduce its carbon emissions. You can find more details about the programs run by both the industry and the government in our implementation plan.

The Queensland Low Emissions Agriculture Roadmap Stakeholder Advisory Committee has identified areas that require extra attention to achieve the roadmap's goals.

Short to medium term delivery

• Accelerated and coordinated extension effort, through trusted knowledge brokers
• Improved understanding of carbon cycling and loss pathways
• Cost–benefit assessment for ‘representative’ production systems
• Maximisation of natural capital market opportunities while addressing current and emerging challenges

Medium to long term delivery

• Optimisation of sustainable plantation and native timber supply streams

Ongoing delivery

• First Nations partnerships
• Method development that recognises emerging drivers and farming system approaches