Landholders unite for reforestation carbon aggregation

THE largest ever Australian reforestation carbon aggregation has been successfully registered with the Clean Energy Regulator.

It will see approximately 546,000 native and biodiverse trees planted across an area 220 times the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) by September 2022. 

With less than one percent of Australia’s carbon market made up by native environmental plantings, the aggregation is a significant step towards tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through a scalable market-based solution. 

Increasing the proportion of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) produced through native reforestation is a critical step towards holistically supporting the more than 1800 species and ecosystems threatened with extinction in Australia alone, while simultaneously tackling a warming climate.

Delivered by Greening Australia and administered by its environmental credits business Canopy, the new 440-hectare Environmental Planting aggregation will produce an estimated 100,000 ACCUs, cementing Canopy’s position as the largest ACCU producer from biodiverse environmental plantings in the country. 

The aggregation brings together seven landholders across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, making it the largest private land aggregation by number of aggregated sites.

For Gippsland farmer Tom Brown, being part of the aggregation has provided an opportunity to help restore the environment and improve the health of his land, whilst also generating a source of income.

“We’ve been planting on parts of our farm for years but working with Greening Australia will enable us to do this at a far larger scale. The important thing for us is also the biodiversity benefits that come from planting native species, because what we’re trying to do here is help the native fauna and reinvigorate the land.

“We’re lucky to live in a beautiful location, but I’m thinking more and more about our children and grandchildren and what sort of world and legacy we’ll leave behind for them,” said Mr Brown.