What is this grant
The Low Carbon Landscapes grant round will fund the initial stages of development for landscape-scale projects which aim to deliver carbon abatement alongside other benefits.
Successful applicants will receive grant funding to cover the costs of project development for up to 3 years, up to the point where they are able to secure investment.
Find detailed information on eligible projects in Section 3 of the guidelines.
No funding for on-ground implementation of activities is included in the scope of this grant program.
The grant amount available is:
- up to $500,000 for projects with one target landscape area
- up to $1,000,0000 for projects with two to five target landscape areas.
No. No funding for on-ground implementation of carbon abatement activities such as tree planting is included in the scope of this grant program.
The grant aims to support the initial stages of project development, such as scoping, landscape planning and market engagement.
Project activities will vary depending on local needs and any work that has already been undertaken in the target landscape, but generally we foresee 3 project stages:
- Stage 1: Scoping
- Stage 2: Landscape planning
- Stage 3: Market engagement.
Examples of activities for each stage and the expected outcomes from each stage, are described in Section 2.5 of the grant guidelines. See Section 3.3 of the grant guidelines for a description of eligible projects and Section 5.4 for a description of eligible expenses.
The scope of the Low Carbon Landscapes grant round covers the initial stages of project development for landscape-scale, high-quality carbon abatement projects in the primary industries and land sector, up to the point where they are able to secure investment. This should include a focus on developing a financially viable model for project delivery and identifying suitable sources of private investment to enable on-ground implementation.
This grant round will not fund on-ground implementation of carbon abatement projects or subsequent management or maintenance of these projects.
Carbon abatement activities within the scope of this grant program include:
- increasing carbon storage in vegetation, soils, coastal, or marine areas across all land types
- reducing emissions from livestock, land use, land use change, and forestry.
This grant cannot be used for projects related to:
- energy use and transport-related emissions
- technological carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere and geological storage.
While the focus is on carbon abatement, funded projects must aim to achieve this in a way that delivers co-benefits.
Projects that are within the scope of this grant program and which meet the other criteria described in Section 3.3 of the grant guidelines are eligible for this grant.
The target landscape area is the area your project will explore opportunities in and can include both public and privately-owned land. There is no expectation the project will result in changes in land management across all land within the target landscape area, but there should be a clear rationale for why the area has been selected.
Examples of a target landscape area could include:
- a water catchment area, with multiple private properties and public land such as state forests or national park, where there is potential for carbon abatement projects to mitigate flood risk to downstream communities, improve water quality and increase habitat connectivity
- a landscape dominated by producers of a certain food or fibre product, where there is potential for carbon abatement projects to address supply chain sustainability targets while simultaneously improving productivity.
Target landscape areas for the Low Carbon Landscapes grant program must be at least 3,000 hectares in size, as well as meeting other criteria described in Section 3.3 of the Grant Guidelines.
More information about identifying a target landscape area for your project is provided in Section 7.1 of the grant guidelines.
In the context of this grant program, co-benefits refer to the other benefits that can be achieved when undertaking a carbon abatement project. These can include, for example:
- improvements to biodiversity, water quality, soil health, or climate resilience
- Aboriginal cultural benefits
- social and economic benefits for local communities
- productivity gains for primary producers.
The emphasis for this grant program is on high quality carbon abatement with co-benefits. This reduces the risk of negative consequences that can be associated with projects focused on lowest cost carbon abatement. It also enables multiple benefits to be combined to improve commercial viability.
Cash and in-kind co-contributions are not mandatory, but are highly recommended as value for money is a component of the merit assessment criteria.
In-kind contributions refer to providing goods or services to the project, valued at a fair market rate. For example, professional services, equipment.
There are strict guidelines on how grant funding and co-contributions can be used for this grant. See section 5.4 and 5.5. of the grant guidelines for a list of inclusions and ineligible expenses.
By working together across a landscape, landholders and other project partners can share knowledge and resources, achieve economies of scale, and deliver larger projects with more significant benefits. Larger projects are likely to be more attractive to a wider range of investors, and risk can be managed across a portfolio of interventions within the landscape.
- Land managers: gain a better understanding of the opportunities presented by environmental markets and get the support needed to make informed choices and attract investment.
- Primary producers: identify opportunities to improve productivity and achieve a commercial advantage by demonstrating a commitment to improved environmental performance.
- Aboriginal land managers: explore opportunities for carbon projects on Country that generate income and restore and protect Country. Carbon projects can support multiple social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits.
- Businesses in food and fibre sectors: collaborate with producers to deliver carbon abatement, contribute to corporate sustainability commitments and help meet customer and shareholder expectations.
- Local councils: work with communities to develop ambitious and financially viable plans for carbon abatement, achieve environmental, social and economic benefits, and contribute to net-zero targets.
- Utilities companies and infrastructure operators: identify and understand opportunities to achieve environmental goals, reduce risk or costs and enhance climate resilience of their assets.
- Carbon credit buyers: secure a supply of high-quality carbon credits with verifiable co-benefits to help meet compliance or voluntary commitments.
- Investors: identify high quality investment opportunities which align with environmental and social commitments and generate a return. Funded projects will provide the credibility, confidence and governance structures required to invest.
Yes.
Aboriginal people maintain a deep and enduring connection to Country. By involving Traditional Owners in landscape planning, projects can integrate Indigenous knowledge systems, which have been honed over tens of thousands of years to manage ecosystems in balance with natural cycles.
Genuine partnerships can also enhance the value of projects by embedding Aboriginal outcomes into their design and delivery. Projects that do this successfully can deliver social, cultural, and economic benefits for Aboriginal communities such as employment, skills development, and cultural renewal while promoting reconciliation and shared stewardship of Country. Such projects often attract higher levels of support, recognition, and investment.
As a minimum all funded projects are expected to:
- consult with all eligible interest holders and apply the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) when engaging with Aboriginal people/organisations
- ensure Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property rights are upheld
- identify whether the target landscape area includes any areas with recognised Aboriginal peoples’ rights or interests including Native Title interests or claims
- detail any consultation with Aboriginal people/organisations undertaken in the development of the application, and/or planned for the project.
Ideally, funded projects will:
- invite input from Aboriginal people/organisations such as Traditional Owners, Elders or local Aboriginal land council representatives
- recognise the commitment of time and resources by Aboriginal organisations, communities and people, and allocate a budget for engagement and Aboriginal representatives’ expertise and time.
Project specifics
Project activities will vary depending on local needs and any work that has already been undertaken in the target landscape, but generally we foresee 3 project stages:
- Stage 1: Scoping
- Stage 2: Landscape planning
- Stage 3: Market engagement.
See Section 2.5 of the guidelines for details on each of these stages.
Stage 1 is designed as a scoping stage to determine the viability of the project. If a funded project gets to the end of Stage 1 and is deemed no longer viable to continue, the project will be discontinued, and no further funding will be provided.
Refer to Section 2 of the grant guidelines for details on each stage.
Applications need to describe the opportunities they intend to explore in the scoping and planning stages of the project. These can just be an initial estimate at the application stage, and new opportunities may be identified during the project.
Your application needs to describe your project’s potential for:
- carbon abatement
- co-benefits
- attracting investment
- revenue generation and cost savings that will generate a return on the investment needed for on-ground implementation.
See Section 7.2 of the guidelines for detailed information on demonstrating potential outcomes, including suggested resources and tools for developing this part of your application.
The program has been designed to allow adequate time for scoping, planning and market engagement. Grant funded projects can be up to 3 years duration. By the end of the grant funded period the aim is for projects to have sufficient investment secured to enable on-ground implementation to commence. However, securing investment is not a mandatory requirement for completion of the grant project. See Section 2.5 of the guidelines for more information.
No. For-profit carbon service providers are not eligible for this grant.
The application process
Once you have read the guidelines and prepared your necessary documentation, you can start your application in the Grants Management System.
See the step-by-step process here.
If you’re ready to apply, start your application now.
An estimate of the potential for carbon abatement is required, expressed as the number of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and/or the total tonnes estimated for a 25-year period. Applicants can use their preferred method to calculate this estimate, but must include rationale, description and supporting evidence of the method used. This will allow the estimate to be verified during the application assessment process. A range of tools and calculators are available, including:
- LOOC-C: a spatial tool used to assess land-based project options under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme, providing indicative estimates of potential carbon abatement within the project area, in alignment with that of FullCAM. See the grant guidelines Appendix B for tips on using this tool.
- PLANR: designed to help landholders participate in the Nature Repair Market Scheme, offering features to assess greenhouse gas emissions, evaluate biodiversity conditions, track trends in tree and ground cover, and estimate project costs.
- FullCAM: a modelling tool that calculates Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector, providing estimates of carbon stock changes in soil and vegetation over time.
- BlueCAM: used to estimate net carbon abatement for projects registered under the blue carbon method of the ACCU Scheme.
- Agricultural Innovation Australia Environmental Accounting Platform: a tool for calculating the carbon footprint at the commodity, enterprise, and whole of business level, enabling comprehensive tracking of emissions across the supply chain.
More calculators are outlined in the Carbon Farming outreach training package Topic 3 Other Resources.
See the Appendix in the guidelines for guidance on using LOOC-C and SEED Maps for your project.
Instructions for using SEED Maps and LOOC-C have been provided in the Appendix of the grant guidelines. The team has developed these specifically for carbon projects relevant to this grant.
The Assessment Panel will score applications based on the merit criteria and also consider the types and locations of projects proposed, and the organisations involved. The goal is to fund a diverse range of quality projects. See Section 6 in the grant guidelines.
The full assessment process can take up to 12 weeks. Approximate timelines are included in Section 4 of the grant guidelines.
Get in touch with the team at [email protected]