Rockliffe is a 2,000-hectare property managed by James and Nina Hope, located south of Kojonup. The primary focus of their operation is merino sheep production, complemented by a 500-hectare cropping program. Sustainability is at the heart of their management approach.

The Hopes avoid using insecticides and fungicides in their cropping program, applying only minimal amounts of herbicides. To support soil health, they use sulphate of ammonia to provide nitrogen for crops and pastures instead of urea. Maintaining good ground cover is a priority for Rockliffe, although the challenges of climate and financial constraints sometimes make it difficult to achieve all their goals. For their sheep enterprise, annual pasture species are the key drivers of profitability.

To support their efforts, James and Nina are developing an Environmental Account in line with the Accounting for Nature® Standard. This will enable them to monitor, report, and verify changes in native vegetation condition on Rockliffe in a robust, accountable, repeatable, and transparent manner. The Hopes have chosen the Accounting for Nature® and Landcare Farming Native Vegetation Method Version 2.1 (July 2022) for this purpose. This method provides a tool for farmers and land managers to measure and track changes in the condition of native vegetation, including restoration and rehabilitation, over time—precisely what the Hopes intend to achieve with their Environmental Account.