Over five years into his native forest protection project, David Turnbull says the improvements in the landscape have been profound – not just in the project area, but across the whole property.

With a noticeable difference in groundcover, David says the ability of the vegetation to recover after dry spells is significantly better then he’s ever seen. The additional income has given him the financial freedom to reduce stocking and hand-feed where necessary, reducing the grazing pressure when it matters, particularly in dry spells.

From a business perspective, David has been able to pay off debt more quickly to improve business resilience, and focus on investment in station upgrades instead.

As a result, Trafalgar now benefits from better infrastructure – including firebreaks across the region, which have only been possible because of the carbon money.