Farmers applying to obtain carbon payments for environmental plantings

18 May 2021

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More than a dozen Eyre Peninsula farmers have shown interest in applying for the Australian Government’s new Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot program since it opened in mid-April.

Under the pilot program, landholders can apply to receive funding for revegetation of local native species in an area of 5 to 200 hectares.

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board region has been chosen as one of six pilot regions across Australia for the program which is part of the Agriculture Stewardship Package being delivered by the Department for Agriculture, Water and Environment.

One of the local landholders interested in being involved with the pilot program is Coulta farmer Brian Foster.

“I am interested in this pilot as I can see the effect climate change is having and I see farmers as pivotal enablers of carbon storage,” Mr Foster says.

“I have an area of land near Coulta that has limited productive value as it is too rocky to crop and doesn’t have a high carrying capacity for stock.

“So I think it’s worthwhile to see if carbon payments from environmental plantings can stack up economically while storing carbon at the same time.”

The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board is facilitating the Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot at a local level.

Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board Planning and Assessment Officer, Andrew Freeman encourages local farmers to look at their property and think about areas that have limited production value that could instead be revegetated under this program.

Project applications close on 11 June.

For more information, visit the Department for Agriculture, Water and Environment’s website at agriculture.gov.au/agriculturestewardship or see our factsheet.

If you have further questions about the program, you can contact the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board’s Planning and Assessment Officer, Andrew Freeman on 0429 673 123.