Australia’s Queensland state government has teamed up with project developer Green Collar to bid for projects that can generate carbon credits under the federal government’s Emissions Reductions Fund (ERF).

The two parties have set up the new Catchment Conservation Alliance (CCA), they announced Friday.

Green Collar will use data and information provided by the state government to bid for projects in ERF using existing methodologies. The CCA will also develop conservation projects within the Great Barrier Reef and river catchments.

“This Alliance is a great opportunity to maximize the potential environmental benefits of ERF projects for Queensland. Not only is it a way to sequester carbon in vegetation and soils but we can also meet other environmental objectives at the same time, in areas like biodiversity conservation, water quality, land stabilisation and integrating sustainable agriculture practices across project sites to ensure resilience and productivity,” said Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles.

Last month, the state minority government released a report saying its carbon emissions would increase 35% by 2030 if no new policies can be implemented, making Australia’s pledge under the Paris Agreement nearly impossible to meet.

Miles earlier this year urged federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt to earmark ERF funds for Queensland-based forestry projects, but it was rejected.

The new alliance comes too late to submit bids for the next ERF auction later this month, so it will need to wait until the fourth auction due in Q4.

That may also be the last ERF auction, at least for a while, as the federal government has said it will not set aside any new funding for ERF is this year’s budget.

By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com

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