Carbon farming methods
All Land Restoration Fund (LRF) projects must follow an approved Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme 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. The methods ensure the emission reductions are real and in addition to business-as-usual operations.
Each method specifies:
- the activities to conduct
- how to measure carbon abatement
- the monitoring, record keeping and reporting requirements.
The list of eligible carbon farming methods for LRF investment will be specific to each investment round.
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), avoiding the clearing of native regrowth and native forests or restoring blue carbon ecosystems.
Savanna fire management methods
- Methods that use fire management practices in Australia’s savanna landscapes to avoid highly potent greenhouse gases being released by late dry-season wildfires, and protect the carbon stored in logs and other dead vegetation.
Permanence obligations of either 25 or 100 years apply to carbon sequestration projects to ensure the intended carbon benefit is delivered. Read frequently asked questions about contract obligations.
Methods in development
The LRF considers any changes in the carbon market such as development or revision of methods as they align to the priority investment areas in the Priority Investment Plan . Updates are then made to the investment application process and LRF Co-benefits Standard .
Read more about new ACCU Scheme methods.
Which methods would be suitable for my property?
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.
These tools can help landholders identify potential carbon project opportunities for their property. This information should be supplemented by additional research and referral to those with specialist knowledge as needed.
- Interactive ACCU Scheme Questionnaire – A questionnaire stepping landholders through the eligibility requirements for registration under the ACCU Scheme.
- LOOC-C – An online calculator produced by CSIRO, that shows landscape options and opportunities for carbon abatement with co-benefits. Landholders can assess options on their property for certain methods offered under the ACCU Scheme.
- Carbon Farming Foundation Education Hub – More than 40 articles and videos explaining carbon farming topics in detail.
- Carbon Opportunity Decision Support Tool – A questionnaire designed to help landholders navigate options for carbon farming, produced by AgriFutures and the Australian Farm Institute.
- Farmer's handbook to on-farm carbon management – A handbook to support landholders with practical information on the feasibility of carbon sequestration activities on their farm, produced by AgriFutures and Carbon Count.
- Carbon 101 and Measuring your own emissions – Meat and Livestock Australia online courses that provide foundational information about carbon farming and greenhouse gases relevant to agriculture.
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.