The Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme (the scheme) encourages people and businesses to run projects that reduce emissions or store carbon. The scheme supports projects that avoid the release of greenhouse gas emissions or remove and sequester carbon from the atmosphere and provides ongoing opportunities for farmers and land managers to:
- participate in emissions reduction, and
- capture and store carbon (carbon sequestration).
Under the scheme, landowners and farmers who adopt approved ACCU Scheme methods can earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). These units can be sold to generate additional income streams, while benefiting the environment.
Methodology determinations or 'methods' are the rules for undertaking projects and calculating reductions emissions reductions from different activities. There are a number of approved methods available. Information about these methods is available on the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Administration of the ACCU Scheme
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is responsible for the ACCU Scheme policy.
The Clean Energy Regulator is the Australian independent statutory authority responsible for administering the ACCU Scheme.
ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Method
The ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Method provides a mechanism to increase carbon sequestration through the following eligible activities:
- establishing and maintaining a new plantation forest for commercial harvesting of wood products (Schedule 1)
- converting an existing short rotation plantation forest to a long rotation plantation forest for commercial harvesting of wood products (Schedule 2)
- avoiding conversion of an existing or recently harvested plantation forest (Schedule 3)
- transitioning a plantation forest to a permanent forest, in situations where that plantation is at risk of being converted to non-forested land (Schedule 4).
ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Notification
To complement the eligibility requirements of the ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Method, the Australian Government Minister responsible for Agriculture assesses whether a proposed project may lead to an adverse impact on agricultural production in the region in which the project would be located.
To assess the potential for a proposed project to have adverse impacts on agricultural production, anyone considering undertaking an ACCU Scheme Plantation Forestry Project under Schedule 1of the Plantation Forestry Method is required to submit an ACCU Scheme Plantation Notification to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
For further information on notification requirements please visit: ACCU Scheme Notification Guidelines.
More information
For more information about the ACCU Scheme (For more information about the ACCU Scheme, please visit the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water or phone +61 2 6213 6000.
For information on closed methods, visit Closed methods - DCCEEW or phone 1300 553 542.