Publication of carbon estimation areas

The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) now publishes Carbon Estimation Area (CEA) data of relevant area-based projects in accordance with sections 168(1)(b)(ii) of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011. This followed the recommendations arising from the Independent Review of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU Review) and the passage of the Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2023 (the Amendment Bill) on 30 March 2023.

A CEA is the area within a project where the project or carbon management activity takes place. CEAs are the area where carbon will be stored, and for which Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) are issued. Methods under the ACCU Scheme set out the rules for mapping CEAs. CEAs may be many times smaller than a project area (e.g. number of hectares within a larger farm).

CEA boundaries are fluid rather than fixed across the life of a project and this is a deliberate design feature of the ACCU Scheme. For example, areas that don’t respond to project activities under area-based methods will need to be removed if they are no longer eligible to receive ACCUs.

The inclusion of the CEAs in the Register provides greater transparency of the location of carbon farming activity within a project area. Please note however, the CEA data placed on the Register is not sufficient (in of itself) to make a judgement about the performance of ACCU projects. In most cases, the CEAs do not provide insight into the changed land management practices associated with the ACCU project or readily show how much abatement has been achieved, particularly at the early stages of a project. The examination of geospatial satellite (GIS) images of CEAs is often not sufficient to determine whether projects are complying with the method and other relevant scheme legislation.

CEA data does not provide confirmation of project activity outcomes equivalent to what can be detected by direct measurement, site visits, drone footage or geolocated photographs of CEAs. Such evidence is used by CER to assess project compliance but is protected information under legislation.

The CER is not currently able to put such contextual information relevant to the CEAs into the public domain until authorised by a change to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015. However, project proponents can give consent to the CER to publish additional information to supplement the publication of their CEAs. This information is not independently checked for accuracy or sufficiency against CER's data holdings. Project proponents, and not the CER, are responsible for the data and other content within the documents.

To provide additional information to supplement publication of CEA(s) on the Register, project proponents must complete the documentasset: Voluntary provision of supplementary information for carbon estimation area publication form.