Community
25 September, 2025
Group offers support to reduce carbon impacts
KEEPING carbon on the farm will be critical under Australia’s new emission reduction regime, according to the Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network (WCLN).
The network recently launched its ‘LandLife SouthWest’ program, which it believes will help Moyne and Warrnambool achieve this through targeted incentives.
According to chair of WCLN, Christine Wardle, these incentives will help landowners increase soil biomass and water storage, reduce the impact of temperature and drought on pastures and stock, and plant trees to increase carbon sinks.
“Agriculture underpins the south west Victorian economy,” Ms Wardle said.
“A drying climate, declining soil health and biodiversity loss threaten the foundations of the agricultural industry, as well as the natural ecosystems on which we all rely.
“Supporting farmers to adopt sustainable, regenerative agricultural practices is good for the natural environment and the agricultural sector.”
WCLN’s LandLife SouthWest program has a long-term landscape scale vision to create a climate and drought resilient agricultural sector in the region.
“We will do this through demonstration sites and direct project funding to farmers to convert monocultural pastures to more resilient and productive multispecies pastures,” Ms Wardle said.
“This will increase the capacity of soils to store water and carbon and be more drought resistant, provide shade and shelter to stock and pastures by planting native shelterbelts, and help to protect waterways and wetlands through fencing and native plantings.”
Ms Wardle said that over time this would help to connect the fragmented natural landscape, build our natural capital and provide biodiversity corridors that link the coast to Gariwerd/The Grampians and the Otway Ranges to Budj Bim.
