A blue carbon method will create opportunities to store carbon through restoring mangroves and tidal marshes and reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions through reintroduction of tidal flows.
Method development plan
| Development stage | Status | Milestones for the 2021 calendar year |
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| Planning and scoping | Complete | - The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources facilitated a number of stakeholder workshops between November 2019 and August 2020.
- The Clean Energy Regulator (the agency) is building on this work.
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| Develop draft method | In progress | - Co-design workshop held quarter 1 and 3 2021.
- Co-design process continues during quarter 2 2021.
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| Technical and expert consultation | In progress | - Technical review scheduled quarters 2 and 3 2021.
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| ERAC consideration | Pending | - ERAC consideration scheduled quarter 3 2021.
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| Public consultation | Pending | - Public consultation scheduled quarter 3 2021.
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| Refinement and draft finalisation | Pending | - Refinement and draft finalisation during quarter 4 2021.
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| ERAC approval | Pending | - ERAC review scheduled quarter 4 2021.
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| Minister approval | Pending | - Method finalisation by quarter 4 2021.
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Issues Register
| Issue | Response |
|---|
| Permitting seeding and planting for blue carbon projects. | The Clean Energy Regulator (the agency) is proposing to allow environmental planting and seeding by projects under the new blue carbon method.
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| Whether existing regulatory and approval regimes are sufficient to manage potential adverse impacts from the reintroduction of tidal flows. | The agency has undertaken an assessment of Commonwealth, state and territory regulatory frameworks to manage potential adverse impacts from the reintroduction of tidal flows and is continuing to work with stakeholders on potential requirements to manage outstanding risks. |
| Investigating what low cost options are available to evidence the modelled abatement figures and that regeneration of vegetated coastal ecosystems is occurring. | The agency is working with blue carbon experts to develop simple calculators to model net abatement from blue carbon projects. |
Specifying the mapping and hydrological modelling requirements for blue carbon projects.
| The agency is continuing to work with stakeholders on the mapping and hydrological modelling requirements for blue carbon projects.
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