Nature Repair (Replanting Native Forest and Woodland Ecosystems) Methodology Determination 2025 (Cth)

Nature Repair (Replanting Native Forest and Woodland Ecosystems) Methodology Determination 2025

I, Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Environment and Water, make the following methodology determination.

Dated 27.02.2025

Tanya Plibersek Minister for Environment and Water

Contents Part 1 —Preliminary 1 1 Name.....................................................1 2 Commencement...............................................1 3 Authority...................................................1 4 Schedules..................................................1 5 Definitions..................................................1 6 Biodiversity projects covered by this instrument............................7 7 Fixed biodiversity project characteristics for a replanting project..................8 8 Variable biodiversity project characteristic for a replanting project.................8 9 Counterfactual scenario for a replanting project............................8 10 Period for achievement of project outcome..............................8 11 Meaning of ecosystem condition, indicator and sub-indicator...................8 12 Meaning of starting ecosystem condition state............................9 Part 2 —Project requirements 11 Division 2.1 —General 11 13 Conditions for registration as registered biodiversity project...................11 Division 2.2 —Project activities 11 14 Activities to be carried out in the replanting project........................11 15 Activity period..............................................12 16 Prohibited activities...........................................12 17 Environmental planting.........................................13 Division 2.3 —Land and location 13 18 Project area must be in eligible region and include eligible land.................13 19 Meaning of eligible land........................................14 20 Project area boundaries.........................................14 Division 2.4 —Stratification of the project area 15 21 Initial stratification of project area...................................15 22 Requirements for activity areas....................................15 23 Exclusion areas..............................................16 24 Stratification boundaries........................................16 Division 2.5 —Starting state assessment (SSA) 16 25 References to activity areas and project outcomes.........................16 26 Starting state assessment and site assessment report........................16 27 Assessment of the eligibility of the land...............................17 28 Engagement with relevant Indigenous representatives.......................17 29 Use of Indigenous knowledge and values or Indigenous data...................18 30 Ecosystem assessment..........................................18 31 Assessment of historic drivers of change...............................19 32 Assessment of the project context...................................19 33 Relevant data and information for the assessment..........................20 34 Threats to success of the replanting project.............................21 35 Content of the site assessment report.................................21 Division 2.6 —Project plan 23 36 Requirements for project plan.....................................23 37 Information about each activity area.................................23 38 Indigenous engagement.........................................25 39 Nomination of restoration targets for ecosystem condition....................25 40 Threatened species and ecological communities...........................25 41 Nomination of culturally significant entities.............................26 42 Climate change considerations.....................................26 43 Dealing with threats and adverse events...............................26 44 Updating a project plan.........................................27 Division 2.7 — Culturally significant entities 27 45 Culturally significant entities of a replanting project........................27 Division 2.8 —Identifying reference ecosystems 28 46 Identifying reference ecosystems...................................28 Division 2.9 —Monitoring, measuring and assessing biodiversity outcomes 30 47 Notification obligations of project proponent............................30 48 Monitoring requirements—ecosystem condition..........................30 49 Monitoring requirements—culturally significant entities.....................31 50 Matters to be included in biodiversity project reports........................31 51 Record-keeping requirements.....................................34 Part 3 —Registration 36 52 Information and documents required for registration application.................36 53 Information to be included in the Register..............................36 Part 4 —Biodiversity certificates 39 54 Application for biodiversity certificate................................39 55 Issue of biodiversity certificate.....................................40 Schedule 1 —Eligible regions 41 Schedule 2 —Establishing benchmark values of indicators 52 1 Purpose of Schedule............................................52 2 Dealing with unidentified species....................................52 The process for establishing benchmark values 53 Step 1—Selecting survey sites.......................................53 Step 2—Selecting survey plots.......................................53 Step 3—Applying the point intercept method to the survey plots...................53 Step 4—Applying the quadrat method to the survey plots.......................53 Step 5—Canopy height measurement...................................54 Step 6—Plot survey—gathering plant species composition data...................54 Step 7—Calculation of the values of the indicators and sub-indicators for each survey plot...54 Step 8—Calculation of the benchmark values of the indicators....................55 Schedule 3 —The point intercept method 56 Step 1—Select sampling plots.......................................56 Step 2—Assign groundcover categories and subcategories......................56 Step 3—Classify sample points......................................57 Step 4— Calculate crown cover......................................58 Schedule 4 —The quadrat method 59 Schedule 5 —Assessing ecosystem condition 60 1 Purpose of Schedule............................................60 2 Establishing permanent sampling plots.................................60 3 Photos of permanent sampling plots..................................61 4 Dealing with unidentified species....................................61 The assessment process for an activity area 63 5 Canopy height measurement.......................................63 6 Applying the point intercept method to the permanent sampling plots...............63 7 Applying the quadrat method to the permanent sampling plots...................63 8 Plot survey—gathering plant species composition data.......................63 9 Meaning of relevant benchmark value.................................63 10 Calculating the indicator values for the ecosystem condition...................63 11 Determining the starting ecosystem condition state.........................68 Schedule 6 —Restoration target levels 70 1 Restoration target levels.........................................70 2 The relevant reference ecosystem....................................70 Qualitative descriptions...........................................70 Table of quantitative requirements.....................................70 Schedule 7 —Threshold values 73 1 Threshold values..............................................73 2 The relevant reference ecosystem....................................73 Schedule 8 —Calculating the ecosystem scores 76 1 Purpose of Schedule............................................76 Ecosystem scores for an activity area 76 2 Ascertain starting ecosystem condition state.............................76 3 Assign an STM starting state......................................76 4 Assign a starting ecosystem condition score..............................77 5 Assign a STM target state........................................77 6 Assign a forecast ecosystem condition score.............................78 Ecosystem aggregate scores for the project 79 7 Calculate the starting aggregate ecosystem condition score.....................79 8 Calculate the forecast aggregate ecosystem condition score.....................79 Biodiversity persistence scores for an activity area 79 9 Assign the starting contribution to biodiversity persistence score.................79 10 Assign the forecast contribution to biodiversity persistence score................79 Aggregate biodiversity persistence scores for the project 80 11 Assign the starting aggregate contribution to biodiversity persistence score..........80 12 Assign the forecast aggregate contribution to biodiversity persistence score..........80