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Opportunities for biodiversity, carbon and other values retained though easement management.

Opportunities for biodiversity, carbon and other values retained though easement management.

Specifications

  • Scope:

    Advice to the client on opportunities to derive multiple environmental services from tree plantings.  Environmental services considered included biodiversity, wildlife habitat, greenhouse gas bio-sequestration, salinity, biofuels and biomass, agricultural production benefits and remediation of land degradation.

  • Challenge:

    Establishment of powerline easements, regardless of whether or not vegetation is cleared, incurs significant liabilities in relation to vegetation, biodiversity and carbon.  Existing vegetation offset policy encourages perverse environmental outcomes by discouraging maintenance of vegetation on easements.

  • Solution:

    By bringing a practical understanding of ecology together with a sound knowledge of legislation, regulation and policy, Verterra was able to identify and test a basis for modification of the offset policy with the regulator to reduce liability an dimprove environmental outcomes (reduce fragmentation). 

  • Benefit to Client:

    Verterra's advice identified opportunities to combine carbon sequestration, biodiversity and habitat values, with potential to deliver improved environmental outcomes at reduced cost.

  • Market Sector: Power and Energy
  • Capabilities:
    • Native Forest Management
    • Vegetation and biodiversity offsets
    • Greenhouse Gases
    • Natural resource management and environmental economics
  • Location: Queensland
  • Year: 2011