Standard Presentation (12 minutes) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2025 Conference

Restoration and Environmental Market Projects in Tropical North Queensland: Benefits and Barriers to Participation (119908)

Katie Motson 1 , Nathan Waltham 1 2 , Jim C. R. Smart 3 4 , Syezlin Hasan 3 5 , Diane Jarvis 1 6 , Ben Jarihani 1 2 , Mahmood Sadat Noori 1 2 , Allyson Genson 1 , Carla Wegscheidl 7
  1. Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
  2. College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
  3. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  4. School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  5. Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  6. College of Business, Law and Governance, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
  7. Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Government, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Environmental markets offer financial incentives for positive environmental outcomes. Restoration projects within these markets enable landholders to be compensated for these benefits… but is it enough to encourage more landholders to engage in restoration efforts? This report, funded by the Queensland Government, examines the feasibility of landholders establishing restoration projects using green carbon (reforestation) and blue carbon (tidal restoration) methods in North Queensland. Site visits, GIS mapping, and hydrological models were employed to identify restoration sites and map regional tidal inundation. Local landholders were interviewed to gain insights into the risks, benefits, and barriers to participation, while Discounted Cash Flow Analysis was utilised to assess the economic viability of the projects. Interviews revealed that landholders were largely unaware of available markets and local examples of successful projects, limiting their interest in participation. Project viability varied based on size, timeframes, and required capital investment. Although green and blue carbon projects are capable of significant carbon sequestration, they were found to be financially unviable. However, blue carbon projects became viable when stacked with another environmental market project. While environmental markets may assist Australia in achieving its emissions and biodiversity targets, their complexity and unfamiliarity might hinder landholder participation in North Queensland.