Diversify revenue Carbon credits provide another income stream for your property. Farm benefits Provides shelter for livestock and reduces soil erosion and salinity. Ecosystem health Be recognised for your contribution to Australia's emissions reductions. Conserve biodiversity Native forests supply habitat for species such as insects, birds and reptiles. Help with these projects The basics Introduction to human-induced regeneration projects, how they work and their eligibility requirements. Show me the basics The details Further information and resources on human-induced regeneration projects under the Emissions Reduction Fund. Show me the details How these projects work A HIR project involves introducing new land management practices to allow native forests to regenerate rather than being cleared. A forest is a 0.2 ha or larger area of land with trees that are at least two metres high and have at least 20 per cent canopy cover. You need to use the free Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM) software to model carbon stored in growing trees. You earn carbon credits for modelled increases in stored carbon. The FullCAM model is being upgraded and the estimates for HIR projects are likely to change. You should ensure you use the most up to date version of FullCAM to work out potential abatement for your project. Project activities You can run a HIR project by undertaking a range of new land management activities such as: Ceasing the destruction or suppression of native regrowth. Removing livestock or managing the timing and extent of grazing in the area. Managing feral animals humanely or removing plant species not native to the area. Eligibility requirements To be eligible you must: Ensure your land does not have areas of existing forest and was not managed in a way that suppressed regeneration of native vegetation in the ten years before you apply to register a project (e.g. the land will need to have been subject to mechanical clearing or grazed by livestock). Ensure your land has the potential to achieve forest cover if allowed to regenerate. Establish legal right (the right to run your project and claim carbon credits) - for example, holding a lease or land title, or having a signed agreement with other landholders to run a project on their land. Obtain regulatory approvals and consent from everyone with an eligible interest in the project land. Consent holders will vary. They may include banks, state governments (if the land is leased) or relevant native title bodies corporate. Make sure your project is new - you will need to adopt a new land management activity after you register your HIR project. Running and reporting on your project As part of registering a project, you will need to map your project boundary, identify vegetation groups and calculate your expected carbon credits. There are operating, reporting, monitoring and audit obligations in running a HIR project. You will need to report on how your native forest is regenerating at least once every five years. You will receive carbon credits for modelled increases in stored carbon over a period of 25 years. Your project must store carbon for 25 or 100 years to deliver a long-term benefit to the atmosphere (known as 'permanence'). If stored carbon is lost from regenerating forest, you may need to hand back carbon credits. Relevant legislation and resources Factsheet: Human-induced regeneration. Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Human-Induced Regeneration of a Permanent Even-Aged Native Forest - 1.1) Methodology Determination 2013), and its explanatory statement. Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Regulations 2011 and the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015.