Improving Biodiversity & profitability
A partnership with Little River Landcare & Landcare Australia to Enhance Land Manager Engagement in Biodiversity Markets
Capacity building - LEP23_036_LLC
The issue
Participating in biodiversity market projects is complex and difficult to navigate. The potential to improve biodiversity and on-farm profitability is not being fully utilised by producers due to the opaqueness and complexity of participating, and a lack of awareness of how the economics of these projects operate at a farm level.
The solution
Little River Landcare’s project “Biodiversity Markets – improving biodiversity and profitability” (funded by Landcare Australia Biodiversity in Action Grant) aims to address this issue in the Little River region, the 2nd saltiest catchment in NSW. This has been done by taking a group of producers through a structured biodiversity farm planning process considering a range of environmental market opportunities and piloting an ACCU generating ‘Environmental Planting’, stacked with a Nature Repair method project. A pilot site of approximately 20ha will demonstrate the economics of undertaking smaller scale environmental plantings, including gross margin analysis with comparisons to agricultural land uses, to break down knowledge gaps for land managers and support greater participation in biodiversity improvement projects.
The impact
The project has just kicked off its first workshop. Over 20 local land managers attended the first workshop with presenters Simon Campbell and Grant Tranter from Renovo Ag. Discussion involved an overview of environmental markets, carbon sequestration potential within the area, risks involved and financial modelling projections to enable direct comparison of earning potential – environmental planting v’s “normal farm business” per Ha. Coming up, participants will have their own properties mapped for carbon yield potential – enabling them to make informed decisions as to whether a carbon sequestration project fits within their farm business plan.
Key facts
- The project is taking place in the Little River region, the second saltiest catchment in NSW, where biodiversity improvements have significant environmental value.
- Over 20 local land managers attended the first workshop, showing strong interest in biodiversity market opportunities.
- The project includes a 20-hectare pilot environmental planting site, demonstrating the economics of small-scale biodiversity projects.
- Land managers will receive property-specific carbon yield mapping and biodiversity co-benefit assessments to support informed decision-making about participating in carbon and biodiversity markets.