Carbon farming for resilient rangelands: people, paddocks and policy
Alex Baumber![https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8560-8661](/media/client/orcid_16x16.png)
![https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6168-5387](/media/client/orcid_16x16.png)
A Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW 2007, Australia.
B NSW Department of Primary Industries, 34 Hampden Street, Dubbo, NSW 2830, Australia.
C School of Geosciences and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
D School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, PANGEA Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
E NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Research Centre, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: alex.baumber@uts.edu.au
The Rangeland Journal 42(5) 293-307 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ20034
Submitted: 8 May 2020 Accepted: 9 July 2020 Published: 7 August 2020
Journal Compilation © Australian Rangeland Society 2020 Open Access CC BY-NC
Abstract
Carbon farming is a new land use option over extensive areas of the Australian rangelands. This land use change has been promoted by government incentives to mitigate climate change, with most of Australia’s land sector abatement to date being delivered in rangelands. Aside from these mitigation benefits, carbon farming has also demonstrated potential co-benefits that enhance socio-ecological resilience by diversifying land uses and income streams, providing opportunities for sustainable land management to enhance soil and vegetation and creating opportunities for self-organisation and collaboration. However, factors such as policy uncertainty, perceived loss of future land use flexibility and the potential for carbon farming eligibility to create social divisions may negatively affect resilience. In this paper we weigh up these risks, opportunities and co-benefits and propose indicators for measuring the impact of carbon farming on the resilience of rangeland systems. A set of land policy principles for enhancing resilience through carbon farming are also identified.
Additional keywords: co-benefits resilience, risk, sustainable land management.
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