The consequences
of carbon farming

Monash experts are trying to find the best environmental balance between carbon farming and water use in times of drought.

The Australian Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has launched a major research project into the potential benefits of planting trees to offset carbon emissions.

The five-year $4.9 million project will assess how effective and efficient carbon farming is at providing environmental benefits when compared to traditional farming, particularly during times of drought. Researchers will use the 2.4 million hectare Goulburn Broken catchment near Shepparton in Victoria as an environmental case study.

Project leader Dr Ross Thompson said the introduction of carbon farming was a positive step toward a more sustainable environment, but there were important knowledge gaps about its effects.

"There is concern that the carbon accrual and biodiversity benefits of revegetation may be counteracted by reductions in water yield. The project will forecast the effects of increasing reforestation on the Goulburn Broken catchment, by quantifying the water use, carbon storage and biodiversity values of different land uses, and understanding how increases in native vegetation affect those processes," Dr Thompson said.

Sites will be selected within the Goulburn and Broken River valleys, considered to be Victoria's food bowl and one of the catchment's most at risk of ongoing drought and a drying climate. The research will focus on land uses including dry land agriculture, tree plantings of a range of ages and remnant woodland. It will also assess terrestrial, aquatic and soil biodiversity.

The research results will be applicable to other catchment areas and act as a model for future land-use planning.

"Carbon farming is looming as an important new land use both in Australia and internationally. Our research will identify both the costs and benefits of tree planting for carbon accrual.

"It is essential information to allow land managers and landholders to make informed decisions, particularly in the face of the economic and social forces occurring as a result of the current drought," Dr Thompson said.