Forests for People

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Planting native forests to

fight climate change

Merryn Coutts, Greenfleet, Australia

stablished in 1997, Greenfleet is an environmental charity

harnessing carbon market funds to revegetate native

forests and enhance biodiversity in Australia by plant-

ing around 7.5 million native trees, in more than 400 locations

around the country, revegetating a total area of 7,500 hectares.

The greenhouse gases these forests will recapture are equivalent to

the emissions of more than half a million cars being driven on the

roads of Australia for one year.

Greenfleet is helping to revegetate areas within many of Australia’s

national parks, including the iconic Kosciuszko National Park, as

well as returning unproductive farming land to native forests.

Greenfleet understands that climate change is not just a matter

of carbon accounting – climate change involves natural ecosystems

and natural processes, and employing natural solutions like plant-

ing native forests can help to reduce the extent of climate change

and help our ecosystems adapt to the changes that may ensue.

Climate change modelling predicts that approximately 20-30

per cent of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to

be at increased risk of extinction if increases in global average

temperature exceed 1.5 – 2.5°C.

Among the direct human impacts

predicted are: increased mortality from extreme weather events; the

occurrence of infectious diseases in new areas; reduction in fresh

water supplies; and more refugees as areas become

uninhabitable.

In addition to recapturing greenhouse gases from

the atmosphere to reduce the severity of climate

change, native forests bring many more benefits such

as providing habitat for wildlife to migrate and adapt

to new climate conditions, and improving soil and

water quality to benefit agriculture and drinking water

supplies.

Governance and administration

All Greenfleet forests are funded through the purchase

of carbon offsets by the voluntary carbon market.

There is a growing marketplace of individuals and

organizations wanting to reduce their carbon footprint

by recapturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,

while also delivering other environmental benefits to

the landscape.

For individuals, households and single organizations,

the climate change challenge can seem overwhelming,

so Greenfleet offers an easy programme for all these

concerned parties and delivers a collective, practical

response on their behalf.

As a mandatory carbon market develops in Australia,

Greenfleet expects to also service this sector and

increase the size of its biodiverse carbon forests.

Greenfleet does not own land, but enters into agree-

ments with landholders (whether public or private)

to protect the forests and for rights to carbon. These

agreements outline the mutual obligations of the

landholder and Greenfleet (as project developer) and

address issues such as access, maintenance obligations

and tenure of the agreement. Agreements are attached

to property title to ensure that the obligations remain

with the property regardless of ownership.

Under these agreements, landholders gain the follow-

ing benefits, without the upfront costs of purchasing

and planting the trees:

• Reduced soil erosion

• Enhanced micro-climates in the surrounding areas

• Improved water quality

• Reduced ground and water salinity

• Wind protection of arable crops

• Shelter belts for livestock

• Wildlife corridors and biodiversity protection

• Amenity – a more attractive and inviting landscape.

Looking into the canopy of the 2001 planting (January 2010)

Image: Greenfleet Australia