Saltwater Creek Carbon.
Native Vegetation Asset Account.
Environmental Account: AU00011
Environmental Asset: Native Vegetation
Asset Account ID: AU00011V1
Registration date: 23 December 2020
Certification date: 13 September 2024
Certification level: Independent Audit
Purpose: Monitor and track improvement in biodiversity co-benefits
Current land use: Water catchment reserve
Area: 54.6 ha
Method: AfN-METHOD-NV-02
Asset Account snapshot.
Asset summary - baseline.
Asset statement.
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23 December 2020 - Registration date
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XX August 2024- Baseline Certification
Significant outcomes.
Condition scores for species richness in trees, shrubs, and grasses were zero across all Assessment Units, reflecting the site's various stages of sugar cane cropping. Forbs and other species richness were zero in Assessment Unit 1 and near zero in Assessment Unit 2. Structure and function indicators were mostly near zero, except for litter cover, at 24.8%. Non-native plant cover exceeded 60% at most sites. The vegetation configuration indicator was moderately high due to the intact surrounding landscape. Future assessments will track improvements in the Native Vegetation Econd®, with CO2 Australia committed to delivering verifiable biodiversity co-benefits.
Limitations & disclosures.
Composition (species richness) - Potential for false negatives in species richness assessments, referring to the potential for missing species (often cryptic) that were actually present but not encountered. The implication is to underrepresent the species richness attributes contributing to the Species Richness (composition) indicator.
Control to minimise identified limitation - The Native Vegetation Method outlines the recommended survey time to maximise opportunities to identify/differentiate flowering plants. . Field-based assessments were undertaken at the beginning of June 2023, which is during the ideal survey time for the Wet Tropics bioregion as outlined in the Native Vegetation Method. Weather conditions leading up to and at the time of the survey were typical of the season.
Vegetation configuration - Potential subjectivity afforded by the manual designation of areas as a remnant (intact) vegetation and native regrowth vegetation.
Control to minimise identified limitation - The mapping of vegetation configuration categories (remnant and regrowth vegetation) was undertaken combining the interrogation of Queensland Government RVMM, aerial imagery and field-based assessment to confirm the composition of vegetated areas within 1 km of each of the Econd® sites.
Environmental markets.
Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme project, registered with the Australian Clean Energy Regulator. More information can be found here:
Environmental Account.
Learn more about the Environmental Account.