Climate Proofing Australia alliance champions whole-of-landscape approach to climate change

At the launch of Climate Proofing Australia at Parliament House. L-R: Greening Australia CEO Brendan Foran, Farmers for Climate Action CEO Verity Morgan-Schmidt, MP David Littleproud, MP Mark Butler, Red Meat Advisory Council CEO Anna Campbell, Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton.

Agriculture, forestry and ecological restoration leaders are calling for an allied front on climate policy, championing a whole-of-landscape approach to tackling climate change.

Representatives from the agriculture, forestry and ecological restoration industries have launched an unprecedented cross-sector alliance and collaborative land management approach to Australia’s climate change mitigation strategy.

The Climate Proofing Australia (CPA) alliance advocates for a whole-of-landscape approach to tackle climate change aimed at integrating trees and improving soils across the landscape to store carbon, improving biodiversity, generating income for farmers and landholders, and moving towards carbon neutral farming and forestry supply chains by 2030.

Greening Australia CEO Brendan Foran said: “We are calling for public policy and political parties to embrace the significant role our sectors can play in Australia’s climate change mitigation strategy. This is supported by a number of Climate Change Authority reports recommending a greater uptake of land and agriculture-based carbon sequestration projects and better recognition of the co-benefits.”

“As managers of nearly 50 per cent of the Australian landmass, farmers and other landholders across the food, fibre and conservation sectors play a key role in protecting Australia’s natural environment. With land-based activities also accounting for around 20 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, it’s no longer viable to ignore a whole-of-landscape approach.”

CPA recognises the critical importance of carbon emissions measures, but also suggests a new approach to land management that encourages farmers to earn carbon credits on their land, sequester carbon from the atmosphere and create more habitat for Australia’s native plants and animals, while increasing resilience and productivity.

The CPA’s key principles are:

• The continuation and enhancement of the Carbon Farming Initiative – around which the Emissions Reduction Fund was built – to maximise biodiversity, and food and fibre production benefits alongside the scheme’s carbon sequestration objectives.
• The development of new mechanisms and incentives for carbon abatement on land projects that brings together institutional, private and public capital.
• The need for new and improved national environmental datasets and mapping to guide best practice and whole-of-landscape policy making that integrates forestry, farming and conservation outcomes.
• Improving the Australian landscape by balancing native biodiverse plantings with agricultural production and forestry.
• Primary industries working towards carbon neutrality by 2030.

Australian Forestry Products Association CEO Ross Hampton said: “The current Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) conditions limit the land sector’s capacity to generate co-benefits associated with carbon sequestration, such as reinstating wildlife habitat, supporting sustainable agriculture, increasing the plantation forestry estate, and cleaner waters in our rivers.”

“Removing these barriers in the ERF will not only boost the agriculture, agroforestry and conservation sectors’ role in meeting our Paris agreement targets, but also realise these significant co-benefits, including regional economic and social benefits for landholders and surrounding communities through increased productivity and job creation.”

Greening Australia is one of the founding members of this important initiative, alongside the Red Meat Advisory Council, Australian Forest Products Association, and Farmers for Climate Action.

Watch the full video of the launch here. Timing guide:

• 0:00-6:45 Greening Australia CEO, Brendan Foran
• 6:45-11:25 Hon Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
• 11:25-15:40 Hon Mark Butler MP, Shadow Minister for Climate Change
• 15:40-17:19 Red Meat Advisory Council CEO, Anna Campbell
• 17:20-21:15 Hon David Littleproud MP, Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources
• 21:15-22:48 Australian Forest Products Association CEO, Ross Hampton
• 22:49-23:50 Farmers for Climate Action CEO, Verity Morgan-Schmidt

Read more about Climate Proofing Australia