Improving Natural Capital by Storing Carbon in Biomass.
Human Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects are the most common vegetation carbon projects undertaken by landholders across Australia. HIR projects improves the natural capital by storing carbon in biomass and improving biodiversity.
An HIR project is based on adopting management practices that reduce the suppression of regenerating native vegetation. The new management activities are designed to ensure the regeneration attains forest cover, defined as a species mix with the ability to reach at least 2m tall and at least 20% canopy cover, assessed at a scale of 0.2 hectares. Our investment team is able to select the best investment projects for the carbon fund that can generate carbon abatement and improve biodiversity.
The HIR method uses the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM) to estimate sequestered carbon. This is supported by remote sensing data, GIS techniques and on-ground measurements and monitoring. Climate Future Capital has considerable experience in pastoral management, remote sensing, and field monitoring to deliver optimal improvements of landscapes.
Reducing Emissions and Storing Carbon through Savanna Burning
Pastoralists and indigenous groups in northern Australia can conduct strategic early dry season burning and firefighting as part of a savanna carbon farming project to reduce the risk of uncontrolled savanna wildfires. This reduces emissions and enables additional carbon to be stored in growing vegetation. There is also evidence for improvements in biodiversity by lowering the risk of hot late season intensive fires.
Investment projects are located on land in northern Australia that receives a higher rainfall and have been designated as suitable for this project method in terms of their vegetation type and land tenure. Projects that focus on monitoring avoided emissions from wildfires can be conducted on a year-on-year basis, while projects that also monitor carbon stored in growing vegetation can be implemented for 25 or 100 years.
These projects often have considerable involvement with traditional indigenous groups and the investments bring considerable benefits to indigenous communities through revenue-sharing agreements that the team at Climate Future Capital have pioneered.