Issue 103

Dear friend

The big news this week has of course been the Australian Governments Carbon Tax. We have included some relevant information from the Clean Energy Future website below:

Climate change and the land
The Government has decided to exclude the agricultural and land sectors from the carbon price. Farmers, forestry operators and other land managers will not pay a price for the carbon pollution from their activities. However, the Government wants to ensure that farmers and land managers who use their skills, experience and knowledge of the land to lower carbon pollution are rewarded for their efforts.

Supporting farmers under a carbon price
Excluding the agricultural and land sectors from the carbon price means there will be no requirements for farmers to pay for pollution from livestock or fertiliser use. The carbon price also will not apply to off-road fuel use by the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries.

The Carbon Farming Initiative
The Carbon Farming Initiative is a carbon offsets scheme that will provide new economic opportunities for farmers, forest growers and landholders and help the environment by reducing carbon pollution. Farmers and land managers will be able to generate credits that can then be sold to other businesses wanting to offset their own carbon pollution.

Actions to reduce pollution or increase carbon storage can also increase the land sector’s resilience to climate change, protect Australia’s natural environment and improve long term farm productivity.

Legislation for the Carbon Farming Initiative was introduced to Parliament in March 2011 to provide long term certainty to participants and to underpin the environmental integrity and market value of carbon credits.

Land sector activities under the Carbon Farming Initiative
The Carbon Farming Initiative will allow land managers to earn credits—which can then generate income—for actions including:
• reforestation and revegetation
• reduced methane emissions from livestock digestion
• reduced fertiliser pollution
• manure management
• reduced pollution or increased carbon storage in agricultural soils (soil carbon)
• savanna fire management
• native forest protection
• forest management
• reduced pollution from burning of stubble and crop residue
• reduced pollution from rice cultivation
• reduced pollution from legacy landfill waste.

Over time researchers and land managers will find new ways of reducing pollution and increasing carbon storage in soils and vegetation.

Credits generated under the Carbon Farming Initiative that are recognised for Australia’s obligations under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change can be sold to companies with liabilities under the Carbon Pricing Mechanism (see Chapter 3). This includes credits earned from activities such as reforestation, savanna fire management and reductions in pollution from livestock and fertiliser.

The ongoing Carbon Farming Initiative non Kyoto Carbon Fund ($250 million over the first six years of the program) will provide incentives for other activities, including revegetation and soil carbon projects.

Australia will continue working to develop new international rules that recognise a wider range of action on the land to reduce pollution.

Biodiversity Fund

The Government will provide funding of $946 million over the first six years for landholders to undertake projects that establish, restore, protect or manage biodiverse carbon stores.

The Fund will support restoration and management of biodiverse carbon stores including:
• reforestation and revegetation in areas of high conservation value including wildlife corridors, rivers, streams and wetlands
• management and protection of biodiverse ecosystems, including publicly owned native forests and land under conservation covenants or subject to land clearing restrictions
• action to prevent the spread of invasive species across connected landscapes.
These measures will help ensure the protection of Australia’s ecosystems and increase the land sector’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.

No till farming improves soil fertility
• The Government will provide a refundable tax offset to encourage the uptake of conservation tillage farming techniques and participation in soil carbon sequestration research at an estimated cost of $44 million over three years.
• To ensure that farmers and landholders have information about opportunities under the Carbon Farming Initiative, the Government has provided $4 million to support communication with landholders through the Landcare network and other providers. Landcare has a long history of working in the regions on sustainable land management practices. The Government has committed an additional $64 million (over its first six years) for extension and outreach activities. Farm extension officers will provide information and support to landholders about integrating carbon management into farm planning; new research and farm techniques suitable for the property and farm business; and improving productivity and environmental sustainability.
• This builds on a community inspired approach which proved successful through the Government’s $34 million FarmReady Program.

Natural resource management for climate change
The Government will provide $44 million over five years for natural resource management regions to plan for climate change impacts. Natural resource management organisations will develop plans in each region to guide where carbon farming projects should be located in the landscape. These can be used by landholders to identify and develop activities to reduce carbon pollution.

Corridors enhancing biodiversity
• The Carbon Farming Initiative will support environmental programs like the Gondwana Link and others across Australia. This will be an important part of improved biodiversity health into the future

For further information see: http://www.cleanenergyfuture.gov.au/question-and-answer/

View online

Events

Koorda Field Day (Dean Butler Site Visit – 2011)

Friday 12 th August 2011 – FREE event

9:30am  Meet at the Koorda Recreation Centre, morning tea
10:00  Board bus for site visits: speakers Dean Butler and Georgie Troup. Two sites established in 2009 and 2010 of 10,000 sandalwood hosts each, one in belts and the other in block formation. Also saltbush block plantings of 20,000. How can commercial perennials assist in halting wind erosion.
12:00 Return to Koorda: speakers Ed Barrett‐Lennard and Hayley Norman. Ed Barrett‐Lennard (Future Farm Industries CRC) – "Productive uses for saltland: what plant to put where and why". Assessing the potential productivity of saltland sites, the ranges of plants that can grow on soils of different salinity and degrees of waterlogging.
Hayley Norman (CSIRO) – Saltbush, sheep and salty diets – scientific insights and simple suggestions
1pm Lunch
1:30 Direct seeding of mixed sandalwood host species: speaker Bob Huxley. Talk and site visit
Finish 4 ‐ 4:30pm

RSVP to Bethan Lloyd, ASN Executive Assistant: 9574 5882, email exec@sandalwood.org.au by Friday August 5th .

General News

New alliance brightens mallee future

An alliance has recently been announced between the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre, Virgin Australia, the Renewable Oil Corporation and Dynamotive Australia is set to turn mallees into a sustainable fuel source for the aviation industry.

Kevin Goss, CEO of Future Farm Industries CRC, said the agreement between the organisations provided just the impetus needed for expanding the mallee industry.

“Farmers who have already planted mallees are waiting for more secure markets for their tree crops,” Mr Goss said. “We now have an alliance that has the potential to deliver very strongly on those markets.”

“Our research is showing that mallees can be a good option for wheatbelt farmers. We know mallees provide environmental benefits when interplanted with cereal crops – they do all the right things in terms of lowering water tables, preventing salination, reducing erosion, providing shelter, and providing wildlife habitat.

“However, for mallee biomass to provide a diversified income stream to farmers requires new processors entering the market and a sharp reduction in supply chain costs through technological change. The alliance with Virgin Australia, Renewable Oil Corporation and Dynamotive Australia, opens up a new industry development path.

“Just imagine if this takes off – Australian mallees fuelling jet engines; a double win for environmental sustainability with airlines running on fuel the production of which actually benefits the environment and farmers. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

In related research, FFI CRC and its science partners are further investigating the best configurations in which mallees should be planted to maximise farm profits and environmental benefits. Biosystems Engineering and FFI CRC are working together to complete development of the prototype mallee harvester.

“With this new alliance announced today and the mallee harvester arriving back in WA by September to start large-scale trials, the future for the mallee industry is looking brighter” Mr Goss said.

The State of Volunteering in WA in 2011

Are you someone who volunteers through an organisation?
Do you provide informal unpaid assistance directly to others in the community?
Have you volunteered in the past or have never volunteered?
Are you a paid employee or a volunteer associated with an organisation or group that involves volunteers?

We are inviting you to undertake a survey into the state of volunteering in WA in 2011.

The Volunteers & Non-volunteers survey is for all members of the general public to complete, including current volunteers, non-volunteers and those who provide informal unpaid assistance directly to others in the community. 

The Volunteering-involving organisations survey is for completion by paid employees and volunteers associated with a volunteer-involving organisation.

By participating in the survey you have the opportunity to win a double pass to The Bell Tower, valid until 1st January 2012, or a double pass to a preview of the film ‘Zookeeper’.  Seventy-five double passes for each of the two prizes are available.   

In 2011 the world celebrates the International Year of Volunteers + 10.  In recognition of this Volunteering WA is undertaking the State of Volunteering in WA in 2011 Report.  This research aims to investigate what volunteering looks like in WA in 2011, for volunteers, volunteer-involving organisations and the wider community.  The report will capture issues and challenges and note the features that are changing and evolving in Western Australia’s volunteering environment.  The report is unique in that it attempts to capture data on both the formal and informal volunteering habits of Western Australians. 

The survey is available on-line and can be accessed via the Volunteering WA website www.volunteeringwa.org.au Hard copies of the survey can be obtained upon request.

For a hard copy of the survey or for more information please contact Denise at Volunteering WA on 9482 4317 or denise@volunteeringwa.org.au

The survey closing date is mid-August 2011. 

The State of Volunteering in WA in 2011 Report will be available on the Volunteering WA website in December 2011.

Funding

SCIP round 6 now open!

A Wheatbelt NRM Initiative for individuals and farmer groups to improve soil quality. Farmers annd groups within the Avon River Basin are encouraged to submit an expression of interest.

Grants of between $5 000 - $50 000 are available for farmer groups or individuals to trial and / or demonstrate to their local community recommended farm management practices that protect the soil resource from wind & water erosion, soil acidity and a decline in soil carbon. Three main categories of projects are available from which single or multiple management strategies can be selected.

These categories are:

• Integrating tree crops into farm systems
• Recommended grazing management practices
• Recommended cropping management practices
• Projects should aim to increase adoption of the recommended practices by demonstrating appropriate implementation and management to local communities.

Closing Date

Friday 5th of August 2011

Expression of Interest guideline

Click here to download an EOI  (Word Format)

Click here to download an EOI (pdf Format)

Examples of eligible projects:

Sustainable cropping

Trialing different harvest heights, windrowing, cover crops, inter-row sowing, or any project that addresses the environmental issues listed previously.

Sustainable pastures & trees

Perennial pastures, deep rooted annuals, grazing cover crops and fodder shrubs. Integrating trees, and deep rooted perennials to control water erosion & salinity.

Sustainable soils

Trialing biological soil ameliorants, utilising crops creating bio-pores for transport of lime to depth, biochar & alternative methods for increasing soil carbon.

Applications will be assessed on the suitability of proposed works, the need for the project activity to protect the soil and the applicant's commitment to sharing knowledge and skills for the design, establishment and management of farm practices to address wind erosion. Assistance is available from Wheatbelt NRM and our Program Partners for site selection, species selection, planting density, layout and management.

More information

For more information on getting started and the best species for your situation contact a Program Partner (see page 9 Guidelines) or visit the AVONGRO website: http://www.avongro.com.au or contact Project Manager Georgie Troup on 9690 2250

Opportunities

2011 Banksia Category Awards

The Banksia Category Awards comprise ten separate Awards and the entry system provides you with the technical information and criteria for all of the ten awards.

Subject to individual award eligibility, entrants for these Awards can be individuals, groups, communities, governments and corporations etc.

Your project and its different strengths can be eligible for more than one award e.g.

• A building company submits a building project into the Built Environment Award
• A process from that building project, which involves significant innovation is entered into the Eco Innovation Award
• The company behind the project has implemented impressive sustainability practices into their business and enter into the Business Sustainability Awards – etc.

There are many ways to identify which award to enter. If you need some assistance in choosing the award/s best suited to your specific initiative, contact Banksia.

To enter a category award you will need to pay a fee and these are calculated according to your status i.e. community, large business etc. The Award Entry Kit is downloadable below and contains all the technical specifications for each Category Award together with key instructions in how to complete a Banksia Entry.

Click here to access the entry system

Click here for more information

Publications

After the fence: condition of fenced, unfenced and reference York gum - jam woodlands in the Avon Catchment, Western Australia

CSIRO

Considerable investment through natural resource management programs supports restoration of biodiversity in intensively used landscapes such as the Western Australian wheatbelt. One of the most common interventions is fencing of remnant vegetation to facilitate recovery from degradation caused by livestock grazing, yet the effectiveness of this intervention for enhancing biodiversity has only rarely been quantified. We compared 69 unfenced, fenced and reference sites in widespread but highly threatened herb-rich York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba subsp. loxophleba) - jam (Acacia acuminata) woodlands of the Avon catchment, Western Australia, to explore two hypotheses: (1) that fencing facilitates recovery of degraded York gum - jam woodlands towards conditions of little-degraded ‘reference' woodlands, and (2) that after fencing, recovery of degraded woodlands to reference condition is constrained by ecological or other limits. Fenced and unfenced sites were selected as adjacent, matched pairs, and fenced sites had been fenced for an average of 11 (2-22) years.

Click here to download

Focus On

Yilgarn Region

The Yilgarn River originates north-east of Southern Cross from Lake Seabrook and Lake Deborah, with tributaries to the north and south-east. It flows in a south-westerly direction past Merredin to its confluence with the Lockhart River south of Kellerberin. The catchment area of the Yilgarn River is 55 900 km2.

Your Yilgarn sub-region director position is currently vacant.

Members

If you have an interest in natural resource management in the Avon River Basin, and can provide significant input into the planning and implementation of our work then we would invite you to become a member of Wheatbelt NRM.

Wheatbelt NRM membership extends to organisations that operate or reside within the Avon River Basin. Members' interests are considered as part of the overall planning, prioritising and on-ground management activities of Wheatbelt NRM.

Click here to download a membership application

Associates

To become an associate is absolutely free and everyone is eligible. You will receive our fortnightly E-News and stay informed as to how Wheatbelt NRM is providing community leadership for Natural Resource Management in the Avon River Basin. Simply register on the associate sign-up at the top of the screen.

For more information about becoming an associate please click here