Carbon farming methods

All Land Restoration Fund (LRF) projects must follow an approved Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) method to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). The methods explain how to carry out a carbon farming project and measure the resulting reductions in emissions.

There are three types of land sector carbon methods that can generate ACCUs:

Agricultural methods

• Methods that avoid the release of greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide from activities involving cattle, dairy, piggeries and irrigated cotton. There are also methods that involve storing greenhouse gases in the ground by increasing soil carbon.

Vegetation methods

• Methods that remove carbon dioxide from the air by re-growing forests (reforestation, revegetation, and encouraging native regrowth), and avoiding the clearing of native regrowth and native forests.

Savanna burning methods

• Methods that use fire management practices in northern Australia to avoid highly potent greenhouse gases being released by late dry-season wildfires, and protect the carbon stored in logs and other dead vegetation.

Carbon farming opportunities in Queensland differ from region to region and suitable methods will depend on where the land and business are located.
Read about the carbon farming opportunities available in different regions of Queensland.

Permanence obligations of either 25 or 100 years apply to carbon sequestration projects to ensure the intended carbon benefit is delivered.
Read more about contract obligations on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Which methods would be suitable for my property?

These tools can help lanholders learn about carbon farming and make informed decisions about participating in the LRF.

• Find a Carbon Method that’s right for your business (PDF, 12.06MB) assists landholders to understand which ERF method would be most suitable for their property.
• LOOC-C is an online tool, produced by CSIRO, that shows landscape options and opportunities for carbon abatement with co-benefits. It allows landholders to assess options on their property for certain methods offered under the ERF.
• The LRF recommends that landholders seek professional advice to decide if carbon farming is right for their business. Visit the Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) website to seek advice from an Approved Adviser who can provide relevant advice about carbon farming.
• The Carbon Industry Code of Conduct provides guidance for project developers, agents, aggregators and advisers undertaking carbon projects including under the ERF and other Voluntary Offset Schemes.
• The Queensland Government’s regrowing native forest site provides links to interactive maps, guides and fact sheets.

Aggregation

The carbon market has mostly seen large projects that can deliver many tens of thousands of carbon credits over their crediting period. These projects generate economic returns that cover their risks, and the transaction and compliance costs don’t change significantly with scale.

Aggregation may enable smaller landholders to form partnerships to make a larger project, or a larger landholder to have multiple methods active on the one farm to deliver a single carbon project for the purposes of reporting and auditing. In both instances, aggregation can enable economies of scale in implementation and administration.