This project is located West of Bourke in Western NSW in the Mulga Lands bioregion. The land consists of flat red country with some sandy rises and ridges, and some swamps and creeks. The dominant species observed on the property from field surveys include Eremophila sturtii, Dodonaea viscosa, Senna artemisioides and Acacia cambagei.

The objective of this project is to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by sequestering carbon in native forests and avoiding emissions attributable to the clearing of one or more native forests.

This is achieved by protecting land from deforestation where a broadscale clearing consent had been issued and managing the area in order to achieve a mix of native trees, shrubs and understorey species that reflects the structure and composition of a protected native forest.

It is important to note that in an Avoided Deforestation project not all the biomass within a CEA generates abatement as there are trees that would not have been cleared. The carbon held in these trees is excluded from the project accounts.

In New South Wales (NSW), the recent average clearing rate of woody vegetation is approximately 35,000 ha per annum while the rate of non-woody vegetation clearing is approximately 50,000 ha per annum^[1]. These figures don’t include clearing of non-woody vegetation on unregulated land. Agricultural clearing has increased threefold over the last decade in NSW.

The Project (ERF121207) is declared under the ‘Avoided Deforestation 1.1’ Methodology (2015) (the Determination) and generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). This is the second version of the Avoided Deforestation methodology.

AD project Carbon Estimation Areas

What are Carbon Estimation Areas?

A CEA is an area of eligible native forest within a project area that in the absence of the project, would have been cleared in accordance with a pre-existing clearing consent. ACCUs are credited for the native forest within the CEA that is being protected under the project.

At the time the project application is made, each CEA must contain areas of native forest cover and be subject to a pre-existing clearing consent.

• A pre-existing clearing consent must have been issued before 1 July 2010 and be valid at the time of the project application. The consent must permit clearing for the purpose of converting the native forest to cropland or grassland. The clearing consent outlines the maximum area that can be cleared however not all of this area is eligible to be CEA.
• A particular area of land has Forest cover if the land has an area of at least 0.2 of a hectare and has trees that are 2 metres or more in height and provide crown cover of at least 20% of the land.

CEAs contain both project and non-project trees. Non-project trees are those that would not have been cleared in accordance with the pre-existing clearing consent thus the biomass associated with these are not included in the calculation of the project abatement.

Stratification of Conlea Native Forest Protection Project Area into CEAs

Stratification is the process of dividing the project area into carbon estimation areas, clearing buffers and exclusion areas ^[3].

Stratification of the Conlea Native Forest Protection Project was carried out in accordance with the Determination and first reported to the Clean Energy Regulator for a reporting period ending 01 December 2018.

A summary of the stratification of the Conlea Native Forest Protection Project is set out below:

This map shows the project area boundary and the different elements of project design including the carbon estimation areas, clearing buffers and exclusion areas. This stratification may reflect both initial stratification and subsequent revisions.

Satellite imagery, remote sensing datasets, and the clearing consent mapping were used to identify eligible land and exclusion areas. The final project strata comprises of Exclusions Areas (totalling 19,206 ha), Clearing Buffer (totalling 6,493 ha) and CEA (totalling 6,694 ha)

This map shows a current satellite image of the project area.  Satellite imagery, remote sensing datasets, and the pre-existing clearing consent map were used to identify eligible land and exclusion areas.

This map shows a summary of the project mechanism area (the area being protected under the project comprising CEA and Clearing Buffer) and the Exclusion Areas.

Project Abatement

Field surveys are undertaken to calculate the carbon dioxide equivalent net abatement amount in accordance with the Determination.

Firstly, allometric equations are developed and/or validated using destructive sampling to calculate the above ground biomass of plants. Below ground biomass is determined using root:shoot ratios as provided in the Determination.

To validate each allometric equation, at least 6 plants are selected for destructive sampling across different species and size classes. Each plant is cut at ground level and the total wet weight is recorded. Subsamples are then taken for each component part and dried in an oven to obtain the subsample dry weight. Component dry to wet weight ratios are then determined to calculate the estimated dry weight and carbon content of the entire plant.

The allometric equations are validated when there is no difference calculated between the observed and predicted biomass estimates.

Once the allometric equations have been validated, a biomass inventory survey is undertaken to calculate the carbon stock in the forest that would have otherwise been subject to clearing in the absence of the project. This is done by collecting the required measurements for allometric equation, for example the diameter at breast height (DBH, taken to be the diameter at 130cm) for each plant within survey plots.

Plots are randomly allocated within the CEA and are surveyed sequentially until ‘Targeted Precision’ has been achieved. Targeted Precision is the error limit of the primary biomass survey and must be less than or equal to 10% ^[4]

This map shows the points within the project area where vegetation biomass surveys were conducted.

A Biomass Waypoint is a randomly allocated point within the project area where sampling data is collected.

In each survey plot, all woody vegetation is recorded, and ‘non project trees’ are removed from calculations in accordance with the requirements of the pre-existing clearing consent and Determination.

The results of the biomass survey are then used to calculate baseline emissions by modelling[i] the clearing and decay of the carbon stock over 100 years. The mean carbon stock in all pools within the baseline period is calculated to be the difference between the mean carbon stock prior to deforestation and the long-term average post deforestation. Greenhouse gas emissions from methane and nitrous oxide from biomass burning are then calculated.

The net greenhouse gas emissions for the project from planned deforestation are taken to be the sum of the mean carbon stock in all pools during the baseline period and the emissions from biomass burning.

Abatement for the crediting period is calculated as the difference between the net greenhouse gas emissions in the baseline from previously permitted deforestation and the net project emissions. This is averaged across the crediting period and abatement credited in each reporting period is issued pro-rata.

Project Monitoring

Once the initial offsets report has been completed, GreenCollar works closely with the land manager of the project property to collect land management information every quarter to confirm that the land is being managed in accordance with the requirements of the method.

A summary of monitoring activities undertaken on this project is set out below:

• Interview in relation to grazing and herd management
• Interview in relation to removal and reduction of feral animals
• Interview to record fire management activities
• Change detection assessments
• Daily fire hotspot monitoring and review of Seasonal Fire Risk
• Review of SPEI drought index

Project Area Files

GIS shapefiles for the project can be downloaded here. These files detail the project stratification including the carbon estimation areas and exclusion areas.

Avoided Deforestation Q&A

For further information on the Avoided Deforestation method refer to the Avoided Deforestation Q&A here