Financial benefits are set to be offered to producers who improve native vegetation on their properties as part of a federal government pilot program.
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The Enhancing Remnant Vegetation Pilot program will offer producers payment for managing native vegetation to encourage greater biodiversity benefits for their operations.
Funding for the program comes via the government's Agriculture Stewardship Package, which now totals $66.1 million, with $32.1 million provided in 2021, and $34 million provided in 2019.
Producers in six regional areas across the country will be eligible to apply for the trials, including the NSW Central West, Burnett-Mary in Queensland, Victoria's North Central, North Tasmania, South Australia's Eyre Peninsula and south west Western Australia.
The regions have been selected in order to test the program across a variety of farming systems, vegetation types and to pair with the governments Carbon Plus Biodiversity Pilot.
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"Farmers have been managing biodiversity on their farms for decades and it's time they were paid for it," Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said.
"We are already trailing the Carbon Plus Biodiversity Pilot in these regions, which is seeing new plantings that can provide an income from biodiversity and carbon.
"We will start trialling a new market-based approach that will also see them paid for actions to protect and enhance their remnant native vegetation."
As part of the 2021 budget, the government provided $22.3 million to run these additional trials alongside the Carbon Plus Biodiversity Pilot.
The trial will prioritise funding for projects with the most biodiversity benefit per dollar.
"We don't want to lock up land, we want this work to go hand in hand with a productive farming enterprise," Mr Littleproud said.
"Our farmers produce some of the best food and fibre in the world and we want to reward them for delivering positive outcomes for the community while also improving the financial sustainability of their own farm business.
"These pilots are about creating a credible system to attract private investment in biodiversity on farms.
"Over time I want to roll these pilots out to more farmers, making them widely available and fuelled by private sector investment."
As part of the pilot, the Australian National University (ANU) has created the processes and protocols that measure and reward farmers for undertaking the projects, delivering a system that will be respected by international markets
ANU professor Andrew Macintosh said that management protocols could include activities such as fencing, replanting and weed and pest control.
In some projects, farmers may choose to undertake small areas of planting to provide wildlife corridors and connectivity across the landscape.
Producers in the participating regions will be able to apply for the program in late September.
For more details or to apply for the program visit: www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/natural-resources/landcare/sustaining-future-australian-farming
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