In a landmark development for environmental markets in Australia, Cassowary Credit projects are now eligible to be stacked with Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) projects under the Clean Energy Regulator’s framework.

This is the first time a biodiversity credit program has been formally endorsed for project stacking and it means that landholders can generate two separate tradeable credits on the same parcel of land.

What is stacking?

In environmental markets, stacking means generating multiple types of environmental credits from a single project or parcel of land. Each credit type—such as a carbon credit or a biodiversity credit—is measured and issued separately and can be sold independently or as a bundle.

To be eligible, projects must meet strict additionality rules to ensure that each credit type reflects a truly distinct environmental benefit, with no double-counting.

Example: Stacking Cassowary Credits with ACCUs

Let’s walk through how an ACCU project (Australian Carbon Credit Units) can be stacked with a Cassowary Credit project:

1. Register the ACCU project
The landholder first registers an ACCU project using the Reforestation by Environmental and Mallee Planting Methodology with the Clean Energy Regulator. The project must meet all eligibility criteria, including “newness” and additionality.

2. Register the Cassowary Credit project
The same area is then registered under the Rainforest Replanting Methodology in the Cassowary Credit Scheme, managed by Eco-Markets Australia. Again, all eligibility requirements must be met.

3. Start the project
The landholder can then begin on-ground activities, ensuring they meet the requirements for both credit types of schemes.

4. Generate credits

• Carbon credits (ACCUs) are calculated using the FullCAM model.
• Cassowary Credits are issued for additional biodiversity gains, assessed under the Rainforest Replanting Methodology.

We are planning to remediate four significant streambank erosion sites along the Tully River this dry season to help reduce sediment runoff (silt and clay) and protect agricultural land.

The works are part of a six-year project to fix eroding streambanks, gullies and hillslopes across the Wet Tropics. Sites have been identified and prioritised based on risk to water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef.

The environmental engineering solutions being used for the Tully sites involve the construction of pile fields and the placement of rock along the streambank.

WHEN WILL WORKS COMMENCE?  

The construction period is planned for 8 July to late October.

WHAT IS BEING DONE? 

Four sites are being targeted along the Tully River in 2025. Other sites have works scheduled in over the next four years. Rock beaching is planned for two of the sites. Pile fields will be constructed at the other two sites.

The remediation works are designed to protect farmland, reduce sediment flowing to the reef and provide natural habitat for fish.

WHAT IS ROCK BEACHING?

Rock beaching is a method used to protect riverbanks from erosion. It involves placing layers of angular, quarried rock along the bank in a carefully designed way. The rocks are graded and laid to a specific thickness so that they lock together, forming a strong, stable barrier. This interlocking structure absorbs the energy of flowing water, helping to prevent further erosion and protect the surrounding landscape. Rock beaching is a reliable, long-lasting riverbank stabilisation solution for high-risk areas.

WHAT IS A PILE FIELD? 

A timber pile field is an erosion control structure used to protect vulnerable stream banks. It is multiple rows of closely spaced timber piles, driven into the streambed and banks. These piles slow the flow of water, reducing erosion and allowing sediment to settle. Over time, this trapped sediment helps to rebuild the stream bank and creates a stable environment for native vegetation to grow. Eventually, the vegetation takes over the role of protecting the bank and the timber piles naturally degrade. Timber pile fields are a sustainable, nature-based solution to restore and protect waterways.

ARE PILE FIELDS A RISK TO BOATING? 

These pile fields will be along the bank, not in the river, so they will not pose a risk to boat traffic.

It might look pretty but the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata), known for its striking orange-red flowers, is a fast-growing invasive weed. Since being introduced as a garden plant, it has escaped cultivation and begun invading our unique Wet Tropics rainforests.

It invades rainforest fragments, riparian zones, farmland and disturbed bushland. Cyclones Larry and Yasi opened forest canopies, creating ideal conditions for its spread.

How to identify it:

African tulip is easiest to spot when it’s in flower — typically winter and spring, but often year-round.

• Can grow to over 20 metres tall
• Wide canopy and glossy green leaves (bronze when young)
• Large orange-red, frilled flowers with yellow edges
• Long seed pods (up to 20cm) that split to release hundreds of papery, wind-dispersed seeds
• Seedlings often emerge in nearby areas and are a clear sign of infestation

Why is it a problem?

African tulip is a highly invasive plant that threatens native ecosystems:

• Outcompetes native vegetation, forming dense thickets
• Spreads aggressively via wind-blown seeds and root suckering
• Takes advantage of cyclone-damaged forests and rainforest edges
• Blocks sunlight, preventing regeneration of native understory plants
• Toxic to native stingless bees
• Challenging to control — cut stems can regrow or form roots when in contact with soil

How to control African tulip

The best way to control African tulip is for everyone to avoid planting it. But if it’s already on your land:

• Hand-pull small seedlings
• Cut and treat saplings or mature trees with herbicide (cut stump method)
• Ensure all cut stems are treated — upper stems can re-root if left on soil
  Use herbicides under Permit No. PER11463 for control of environmental weeds in non-agricultural areas
• Follow-up may be needed to prevent regrowth

Two new projects, totalling $2 million, will help ensure the survival of the endangered Spectacled Flying-fox – a crucial long-distance pollinator and seed-disperser for Wet Tropics rainforests.

Found only in Far North Queensland and New Guinea, Spectacled Flying-foxes made headlines around the world in 2018 when a heatwave in Far North Queensland wiped out more than 23,000 animals.

Terrain NRM’s Dr Andrew Dennis said the new projects, funded by the Australian Government, aim to reverse the species’ decline through actions including habitat improvements, reducing deaths from tick paralysis, and better understanding and managing the resources that Spectacled Flying-foxes need. One project will also help to develop a new way to monitor their numbers.

Dr Dennis said numbers of Spectacled Flying-foxes had plummeted between 2004 and 2016 – from 250,000 to 75,000 across the Far Northern region from Ingham to Cape York. The 2018 heatwave killed another 23,000 and modelling predicts the declines will continue.

“Spectacled Flying-foxes play a crucial role in our World Heritage forests because they pollinate plants and disperse seeds by eating fruits and moving their seeds across the landscape, in some cases to isolated rainforest areas,” Dr Dennis said.

“However, they are extremely sensitive to disturbances, and their populations have declined over the years because of cyclones, harassment, habitat loss and forest degradation, ticks and hazards like barbed wire and powerlines.

“Climate change is the greatest threat to this species, leading to mass mortality in incidents like the 2018 heat wave. Severe cyclones also impact the species by reducing food sources.”
Led by Terrain NRM, the new collaborative project will bring together scientists, Traditional Owners and conservation groups to better understand Spectacled Flying-fox roosting camps and foraging patterns, and to identify critical areas of habitat for protection and rehabilitation.

Dr Dennis said the project would start by building on existing monitoring work and developing new tools with James Cook University and Traditional Owners.

“Indigenous ranger groups are helping us to collect critical data on camp and foraging behavior, allowing us to pinpoint the highest-risk areas where we can put in some interventions to reduce the threats,” he said.

The results are in from wildlife cameras in creekside trees on cane land south of Ingham – and the good news is that mahogany gliders have been recorded.

In amongst several thousand images, two mahogany gliders were seen in trees in the early hours of the morning.

Terrain NRM’s Evizel Seymour says the cameras were up for six weeks.

“We saw one mahogany glider at about 3am on four or five nights. It was active in a thin corridor of trees bordering a creek and cane land, a place where they haven’t been recorded on camera before. We saw another mahogany glider once, at a creekside area further north.”

Importance of riparian vegetation as wildlife corridors

The trees are part of a thin corridor connecting the ranges with the coast in the Bambaroo-Yuruga area, and installing cameras was the first stage in a project to improve mahogany glider habitat in that area.

Terrain NRM is partnering with Hinchinbrook Shire Council to clear vines and woody weeds from creekside vegetation to create a functional green corridor for mahogany gliders. These elusive marsupials are only found between Tully and Ollera Creek, north of Townsville, and they are listed as endangered. Their favourite kind of habitat, broad-leafed tea tree woodlands, is also listed as endangered.

“This project follows monitoring work and research in the last few years to learn more about mahogany gliders, the boundaries of their habitat, where the remaining small populations live, how their genetic health is going and how we can best help them to survive,’’ Terrain NRM’s Evizel Seymour says.

“The area we are working in now is known to have a small population of mahogany gliders, thanks to the monitoring work over the last three years. That’s exciting because it’s largely cane land and because it’s close to Paluma and Halifax Bay national parks. If we can better link areas it’ll be a big help to these gliders.”

The countdown is on to find the invasive weed Stevia ovata before flowering season on the Atherton Tablelands – the time of year when its seeds spread on the wind.

Terrain NRM and Tablelands Regional Council have been working together to remove this weed, which is also known as candyleaf, from 250 hectares of land on roadsides, along powerlines, on private properties and forests in the Ravenshoe and Herberton areas.

250 hectares of control work

“Over two years, most of the known infestation areas have been treated,’’ Terrain NRM’s Evizel Seymour says.

“This weed is not as mobile as more aggressive species like Siam weed. Its seeds remain viable for only about 18 months, and it doesn’t spread easily to new areas. As a result, infestations have so far been contained to known locations.

“This presents a critical opportunity—now is the time to stay vigilant and act decisively to keep the upper hand.”

Stopping its spread on the Atherton Tablelands

Stevia ovata is currently only found on the Atherton Tablelands, in the Ravenshoe and Herbertson areas. Left uncontrolled, it can impact grazing land and natural vegetation.

“It was first found in this region in 2007. The growing season is February to May with a flowering season from the end of May through June,’’ Evizel says.

“The best time to control Stevia ovata is before it flowers. By July to August the top of the plant dies off naturally but the bottom can re-shoot with moisture and the problem continues unless it is being controlled.”

Spraying and pulling out by hand

Control work has been spraying with herbicides and pulling the weed out by hand.

Terrain NRM secured funding through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Feral Pest Initiative to follow on from earlier Stevia ovata control work by partnering with Tablelands Regional Council to work with landholders and others including Ergon Energy, Powerlink, Clean Co and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

The project also included community engagement work at events in the region, at stakeholder meetings and through the installation of two roadside signs about Stevia ovata –on Wooroora Rd and Tully Falls Rd which are in the main infestation areas.

How can we all work together more effectively to manage feral pigs? Brett Carlsson is looking at this, as our new Feral Pig Coordinator for the Wet Tropics and Cape York.

Brett has spent more than 20 years in invasive species work and has an agricultural background. His position has been funded by the Queensland Government, along with four others across the state.

First steps…
.
Brett is talking to stakeholders – from industry groups to councils and Traditional Owner groups.

“First, we need to build up a picture of the current situation – from control efforts to research activities. Then we can identify any gaps, boost community-led initiatives, get targeted working groups together where needed…”

Managing feral pigs on a regional scale

“Pests are best managed at a regional landscape scale. The focus will be on pest impacts, rather than pest numbers. The goal is to get more people involved and to help everyone to work smarter, not harder – for a result that’s fewer pigs, less damage to crops, the land, threatened species and culture, and a better ability to respond if disease outbreaks occur.”

The new coordinator positions are hosted by NRM groups and are funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Feral Pest Initiative. Work will be guided by the National Feral Pig Action Plan.

One of Australia’s most unique and endangered ecosystems, Broad-leaf tea-tree woodlands, is quietly disappearing and landholders can play a critical role in conservation efforts.

Found across northern Australia in lowlands that are subject to seasonal flooding, these woodlands are home to a rich diversity of plants and animals, yet due to historical land clearing and ongoing threats, their survival is increasingly at risk.

Tony O’Malley, Project Coordinator at Terrain NRM said Broad leaf tea-tree woodlands in high rainfall coastal north Queensland are listed as an endangered ecological community by the Australian Government.

“They provide habitat for a unique community of plants and animals – from orchids and ant plants to frogs and 36 butterfly species – yet many people don’t even know it exists” he said.

Broad-leaf tea-tree woodlands, with their canopy of Melaleuca viridiflora trees and incredibly diverse understorey, provide a vital food source for wildlife. Endangered mahogany gliders and cassowaries rely on these woodlands for survival and movement across the landscape.

“Maybe they’re not as lush as rainforests, but tea-tree woodlands are just as important and historically they’ve been extensively cleared. There’s less than 20 per cent of the original forest remaining,” said Mr O’Malley.

“They continue to be at risk from clearing but also invasive weeds, inappropriate fire and grazing management, feral animals and development that changes drainage.”

Terrain NRM is working with partners to improve the condition of Broad leaf tea-tree woodlands on public land at Damper Creek and Dallachy near Cardwell as part of its Forest Resilience project. The project is controlling key threats identified in a community consultation workshop including exotic pine tree wildlings, feral pigs and inappropriate fire.

This year’s paralysis tick season has taken a devastating toll on endangered Spectacled Flying-foxes, leaving more than 300 pups orphaned on the Atherton Tablelands.

Jenny Mclean, director of Tolga Bat Hospital, said tick paralysis affects Spectacled Flying-foxes every year between October and December, but this season has been particularly severe.

“The worst-hit area was along Peterson Creek in Yungaburra, where more than 560 pups and 500 adults were found dead or in need of rescue,” Ms Mclean said.

“Unfortunately, tick season coincides with birthing season, but we can’t detect bats affected by tick paralysis until they fall from trees. Most cannot be treated and need to be euthanised.

“While many Australian wildlife species have long developed immunity to tick paralysis, it appears to have only started affecting flying-foxes in the past 40 years. It’s an agonising death for them.”

For nearly 30 years, Tolga Bat Hospital has been rescuing paralysed bats in Spectacled Flying-fox camps and tracking birth abnormalities. One of the key factors influencing tick paralysis rates is the prevalence of wild tobacco, an invasive weed.

To help address this issue, a new project led by Terrain NRM to support Spectacled Flying-fox recovery, is mapping wild tobacco on the southern Atherton Tablelands to guide weed control efforts. The project also includes funding for Tolga Bat Hospital to improve data collection on tick-related fatalities. The four-year project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust program.

Project Coordinator Evizel Seymour said Spectacled Flying-foxes primarily forage on native fruit and nectar, but they are also drawn to fruiting wild tobacco bushes, which host paralysis ticks.

“Wild tobacco is not only a threat to flying foxes – it’s also toxic to humans and livestock,” Ms Seymour said. “This invasive weed thrives in disturbed or cleared areas, including roadsides. It impacts agriculture — particularly grazing — due to its toxicity to cattle, and it attracts Spectacled Flying-foxes towards farms to forage on the weed’s fruits.”

Australians are feeling the pinch. Cost of living is a major concern – even with the inflation rate brought under control in the last two years – and it’s likely to be the defining issue of the upcoming federal election.

One of the major drivers of cost-of-living pressures is climate change. Here’s how it’s squeezing our household budgets, and why we need to take more action on addressing climate change and investing in the environment to reduce cost of living pressures.

1. Extreme Weather and Food Prices

In the last five years, food prices have risen by 20 per cent. ‘Unprecedented’ natural disasters are becoming more commonplace. Every time a major flood, cyclone or wildfire sweeps through a community, it devastates crops, causes livestock damage, reduces yields and disrupts supply chains. And all of this pushes up food prices.

Climate change is also increasing production costs more generally. Primary producers are needing to spend more on water management, pest control, disease control, accounting for increased crop losses and other adaptive measures, and inevitably there is a flow-on effect for consumers.

2. Insurance and Housing Costs

Insurance costs are being driven up significantly by climate change. Australians are collectively paying $30 billion more today on insurance than they were 10 years ago. The increasing frequency of natural disasters is an underlying cause, with more frequent and sizeable claims costing insurance companies more. Even disasters in other countries impact Australia by driving up the cost of reinsurance.

What we are now starting to see is insurance companies either pulling out of flood-prone areas, including some areas in the Wet Tropics, or charging substantially more.

Housing costs are also impacted. Extreme weather damages infrastructure, reducing housing supply and pushing up construction and rental prices. As demand outstrips supply, Australians are left paying more for housing—whether they rent, own or are trying to buy.

3. Rising Energy Costs

Australia’s reliance on coal and gas for energy, and the industry’s aging infrastructure, are significantly impacting cost of living. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2023 didn’t help. The cost of oil, petrol, gas and diesel has increased much more than other goods. On average we are paying $30 more to fill up a vehicle’s fuel tank now than we were before the COVID-19 pandemic. This directly impacts fuel and power bills. It also puts inflationary pressure on other goods, including food, due to transport costs.