Blogs

Written Q&A from Prof Hugh Possingham (University of Queensland)

Biodiversity commences with the smallest living organisms. How much recognition is being given to the microbial elements of the world - many of which traverse to the human gut biome so recently popularised?

Regarding the smallest organisms - agreed - the hope is that habitat condition metrics cover off on much of that - with soil health and water quality markets equally important.  Bottom line - healthy soil, water and veg is hopefully delivering outcomes for the majority of species. The biodiversity markets are a long way from dealing with all the micro-organisms - eventually eDNA may help.

Written Q&A from Dr Hayley McMillan (Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries)

How are the 'free-loaders' (kangaroos, deer, rabbits, etc) accounted for and managed in the farm business plan as revegetation and habitat formation changes?

The right fencing is crucial in any revegetation or tree planting scenario. Also, when undertaking tree planting, tree guards are not just tree guards. You need the right guard for your environment.

In much of the northern end of the Monaro since the wool price crash producers have moved to cattle to the detriment of biodiversity on lighter country which may have been "dry wool country" in the past. Should we be trying to follow the phrase “make the livestock fit the landscape, and not “make the landscape fit the stock"?

Absolutely. There are many situation specific considerations for situations like these, e.g., fencing to land type if not already; reducing long term stocking rate in accordance with long-term sustainable stocking rate; intensifying production in areas suitable for feedbase improvement to reduce pressure etc.

Written Q&A from Dr Amanda Hansson (Accounting for Nature)

How many AfN accounts are corporate, and how many family farms? 

We split accounts into not-for-profits (2%) and for-profits (98%). Out of our 47 registered for-profit accounts, family farms represent 28% of Environmental Accounts. Around 50% of accounts are developed by carbon aggregators to underpin carbon-co benefit credits or stand-alone biodiversity credits (often on family-farm properties).

Are there any hurdles to be aware of for landholders to use AfN?

The most common barriers to developing environmental accounts are the time-commitment, technical skills required to implement the specific Method(s), and financial commitment to cover labour, potential laboratory analysis, and certification costs. Developing an Environmental Account can be a substantial undertaking, and it’s essential to have a clear purpose before you start developing an account. It’s important to consider the type of decisions to be informed by the account, as it will inform the area to measure and the assets you will measure the condition of. Knowing this will help you decide if you need to bring in external expertise (such as AfN Accredited Experts) and the costs involved with potential lab tests, etc.

What kind of monitoring method is used for flora and fauna for Econd scores and how accurate is this monitoring?

For information on monitoring methods, please visit https://www.accountingfornature.org/afn-method-overview. All Methods have an accuracy level of either 80% (L3), 90% (L2) or 95% (L1).

Please find slides from the speakers linked below:

- Dr Amanda Hansson: Introduction to Accounting for Nature
- Dr Ryan Wilson: Nature Repair Market
- Dr Hayley McMillan: Biodiversity and Grazing- Learnings from the Method to Market Project