What land is eligible?
CarbonSMART generates carbon credits from revegetation undertaken for conservation activities including, but not limited to, erosion control, salinity reduction and streamside rehabilitation. The areas of interest are sites that landholders consider permanent plantings, such as areas of the property that have been rehabilitated because they are unsuitable for ongoing agricultural use.
Pay as you Grow deals with vegetation that currently exists. To be eligible to enter the CarbonSMART pool, land and revegetation must meet the following criteria:
- The site must have been predominantly clear of vegetation (less than
20% tree cover) on 31 December 1989
- The site must have been revegetated after 1 January 1990
- The site must have been revegetated by seeding or other human action
- When mature, the vegetation must attain a height of at least two metres
- When mature, the vegetation’s top layer must reach a crown (shade)
covering of greater than 20%
- The site must be at least 0.2 hectare – but realistically needs to be more
than 5 hectares
- The carbon will remain on site for at least 100 years after the final trade of that carbon
Importantly, the landholder must own the rights to the carbon in the trees on freehold land and the amount of carbon must be able to be accurately measured.
Landcare CarbonSMART assists landholders by providing advice and specialist services to help meet the eligibility criteria
Receiving other grants or payments for the revegetation will not necessarily exclude a site.1
1 Details of agreements will need to be disclosed during the application process.
