Archived Grant Opportunity View - GO4757

The Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship’s Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot (the C+B Pilot) is a component of the Australian Government’s Agriculture Stewardship Package. The package will create new market-based mechanisms that reward farmers for improving environmental outcomes on agricultural land. 

The C+B Pilot is trialling arrangements to reward farmers for improving on-farm biodiversity together with carbon projects under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF). The pilot is initially being run in six Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions:

•  Burnett-Mary, Queensland;

•  Central West, New South Wales;

•  North Central in Victoria;

•  NRM North in Tasmania;

•  Eyre Peninsula in South Australia;  

•  South West in Western Australia.

The C+B Pilot will support biodiverse environmental planting projects in agricultural areas. Participants who establish and maintain plantings in accordance with the C+B planting protocol will be eligible to receive payments for biodiversity. They will also potentially be able to receive Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for the carbon sequestered in the plantings under the Australian Government’s Emissions reduction Fund (ERF) that can be sold to the Australian Government or other buyers.

The Eligibility Criteria for the Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship - Carbon+Biodiversity Pilot is set out in Section 3 of the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.

This section provides information on eligible applicants and what projects are eligible for funding.

Applications open: 12 April 2021 to 11 June 2021.

Assessment of applications and make biodiversity payment offers to applicants: 12 July 2021. 

Applicant consideration of offer and contract is signed by both parties: 12 August 2021. 

ERF project registration and exercise option to initiate project: Within 4 months of contract being signed.

Undertake plantings: Within 9 months of ERF project registration, unless an extension is provided due to drought or other factors that are beyond the control of the applicant.

End date of activity or agreement:

• If the option to initiate a project is not exercised: 6 months after the date of execution of the agreement. 

• If the option to initiate a project is exercised: 25 years after the date on which the project is registered under the ERF. 

ERF Permanence end date: 25 or 100 years from the date the first ACCUs are issued. 

$23,500,000.00

Complete the application through the web portal accessed at www.agriculture.gov.au/carbon-biodiversity-pilot .

A video to guide you through the application process is available at:

•  Playback: https://publish.viostream.com/play/bgoo5gydfz547p

• Download: 

https://publish.viostream.com/player/download/bgoo5gydfz547p

Provide your personal details and the address of the property on which the project will be located.

Signify your commitment to act with the utmost good faith in all engagements with the program.

Confirm you hold the freehold title to the property and that it is predominantly used for agricultural purposes.

Plot where the plantings will be established on your property or properties.

Submit cost estimates for your project.

• The area to be planted must be registered as an Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) project within 4 months of the C+B Pilot agreement being signed to initiate the project.

• Activities cannot start prior to ERF registration.

• ERF permanence requirements of 25 or 100 years will apply to the planted area.