News from AFAR
20 December 2011
Biodiversity Funding Announced (STAGE 1)
All land managers interested in receiving funding to establishing biodiverse forest sinks can now apply for funding through the Biodiversity Fund. Applications close on 31st January 2012 - so be quick. You can find a lot more information and application forms at www.environment.gov.au/cleanenergyfuture/biodiversity-fund/index.html
16 December 2011
Permanent Environmental Plantings Methodology Approved.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change Mr. Dreyfus announced that the Permanent Environmental Planting Methodology has been approved. This means the typical Landcare planting is now able to be registered as a project under the CFI ( assuming eligibility criteria in the methodology is met).
The Permanent Environmental Planting Methodology can be found on the CFI website at www.climatechange.gov.au/CFI under methodologies
9 November 2011
Clean Energy Future (CEF) legislation through the Parliament…
Australian Carbon Traders welcomes the passage of this important legislation through the Parliament.
Under the CEF legislation, approximately 400 large emitting businesses will be required to pay $23.00 per tonne of CO2e emitted or surrender eligible offset certificates such as those generated under the Carbon Farming Initiative legislation.
For the first three years (2012-15) the CEF legislation allows emitters to meet their obligations by surrendering up to 5% using permits generated by Carbon Farming Initiate projects. This equates to approximately 52 million tonnes over the three years, or 17 million tonnes a year.
Legislation creates immediate demand for carbon credits...
The passing of the Clean Energy Future Legislation on Tuesday the 9th November 2012 has lead to an immediate demand for a range of Australian Carbon Credit Units from liable or covered entities.
Australian Carbon Traders (ACT) managing director Ben Keogh spent two days at the Melbourne Carbon Expo recently fielding enquiries from a range of companies interested in buying carbon credits from Australian landholders. Demand volumes ranged from 25,000 to 500,000 tonnes per annum for the next 3-5 years.
Buyers were particularly interested in Australian projects that can provide early delivery credits; that is, those that can deliver between 2012 and 2015. Purchasers were also impressed with the business model designed by ACT that allows a greater spread of delivery risk over a range of landholders, locations and project types, and are offering very good terms for the right projects.
Demand was strongest for certificates that can be surrendered under the Clean Energy Future compliance mechanism.
If you have existing eligible plantings or are ready to undertake one of the other project types such as early season or reduced savannah burning, landfill gas capture and generation and/or intensive manure management in piggeries, then we have immediate demand for carbon credits.
The Australian Carbon Traders business model is designed to assist landholders to prepare and register projects, support the monitoring and verification process and aggregate credits into larger parcels for landholders to sell to compliance buyers.
Steps to enter carbon trading:
- Have an eligible project
- Meet methodology requirements
- Register as an eligible offsets entity
- Register an eligible project
- Undertake project activity
- Monitor, report and verify project activity
- Have credits issued
- Trade credits
For further information contact enquiries@australiancabrontraders.com
Phone (03)5470 5722 or 0425 877 676
www.australiancarbontraders.com
| Project Type
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permanent environmental plantings
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early season
Savannah Burning
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natural regeneration of native vegetation
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landfill
gas
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fertiliser
efficiency
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manure management in intensive livestock farming
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Demand status
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Immediate |
Immediate |
Immediate |
Immediate |
Immediate |
Immediate |
Basic eligibility criteria |
- the site must have been predominately clear of vegetation (less than 20% tree cover) on 31st December 1989
- the site must have been revegetated after 1st January 1990 or legally cleared after 1990, or been clear of vegetation for at least five (5) years prior to revegetation
- the site must have been revegetated by seeding or other human action
- the canopy vegetation established must be able to reach a height of at least two meters at maturity
- the vegetations top layer must reach a crown (shade) covering of greater than 20%
- the site must be at least 0.2ha
- The project proponent must keep adequate records
- The project must demonstrate compliance with state, local and federal planning and NRM management requirements
- All parties with an interest in the land must provide consent to the project
|
- Must reduce the area of a project that is burnt each year and/or
- shift the seasonality of this burning from the late dry season (LDS) towards the early dry season (EDS)
- The abatement activity can only be implemented under specific circumstances. Projects must:
- be located in an area that receives an average of more than 1000 mm of annual rainfall.
- be located in an area that is subject to an extended dry season during which the grass fuels cure annually and fires regularly occur; and
- contain only the vegetation classes
- eucalypt open forest with tussock grass ground layer (EOF);
- eucalypt woodland with tussock grass ground layer (EW);
- sandstone woodland with a mixed tussock and/or hummock (Spinifex) grass ground layer (SW); and
- sandstone heath with a ground layer dominated by hummock grasses (Spinifex)
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- land clear on 31 December 1989
- land clear for at least five years prior to planting
- mixed species plantings
- areas greater than 1 hectare (ACT requirement)
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- the methodology involves the collection and combustion of methane from legacy waste deposited in landfills by a landfill gas extraction system. The abatement activity includes:
- installing a gas collection system (including wells, flares and electricity generation systems);
- collecting landfill gas; and
- combusting the methane component of the landfill gas using flares and/or an electricity generation system to convert it to carbon dioxide which is released to the atmosphere.
- legacy waste is waste accepted by the landfill facility before the 1 July 2012
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- ability to show reduction in nitrogen emissions with no reduction in yield
- not considered common practice
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- the methodology involves the capture of biogas generated by the decomposition of the piggery manure waste in anaerobic lagoons, and the combustion of the methane component of the biogas. The abatement activity includes:
- covering anaerobic lagoons;
- Installing a gas collection and combustion system (flares or electricity generation system);
- collecting the biogas; and
- combusting the methane component of the biogas.
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Development status |
Draft methodology released |
Draft methodology released |
Methodology under development |
Draft methodology released |
Methodology under development |
Draft methodology released |
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