Guidance for designing Projects
GUIDANCE FOR DESIGNING PROJECTS
The information below is provided to help Applicants design their 20 Million Trees Round Two Project.
This information should be read in conjunction with the Eligibility Criteria outlined in Part 3 of the 20
Million Trees Programme Grant Guidelines Round Two: 2015-2016 (the Guidelines).
CONTENTS
Can my Project receive recognition under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) or the Carbon Farming
1. What information can I use to develop my Project?
As specified in the Guidelines, Projects need to contribute to the Programme Objectives - including the priority activities listed against Objective Two – Environmental Conservation (see part 1.2 of the
Guidelines). Round Two seeks to prioritise projects that directly benefit threatened species and ecological communities listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
1999 (Cth) (the EPBC Act).
In the Application Form, Applicants should:
explain how their Project will provide direct benefits for nationally listed species and/or ecological communities.
provide information on the sources of information and expert advice used to develop the project.
demonstrate how projects will contribute to conservation objectives within national recovery plans and conservation advices.
explain how they will use expert knowledge, advice, assistance or relevant research in collecting, planting and propagating threatened species, and in preparing Project Sites for planting to avoid adverse impacts on threatened flora and fauna species.
Information sources that can be useful for Applicants in developing their project include:
National Recovery Plans, Conservation Advices and Threat Abatement Plans for threatened species or threatened ecological communities provide guidance on priority actions and target areas for the conservation and management of Matters of National Environmental Significance including threatened species and ecological communities. State or regional level strategies, plans and similar documents are of interest in the absence of or in conjunction with national conservation guidance documents. See 21. Useful References for links to these resources, including the Protected
Matters Search Tool which can identify the threatened species and threatened ecological communities likely to occur at your site/s.
Relevant environment or natural resource management (NRM) plans, Protected Area Plans of
Management, Indigenous Land and Sea Country Plans, and urban planning strategies. These may help to identify local and regional revegetation priorities.
Relevant Commonwealth and state or territory legislation. A permit may be required to collect, propagate and plant threatened flora, so information on any legislated requirements should be sought prior to submitting an Application. Applicants may be required to provide documentation to the Department upon request relating to such permits.
Advice from local biodiversity and revegetation experts to help identify the focus of projects. This advice may also be useful in developing your project to ensure that it will deliver good biodiversity outcomes. Your Natural Resource Management organisation
( http://www.nrm.gov.au/regional/regional-nrm-organisations ), State Government, Local
Government, community conservation organisation, Landcare network or local native plant nursery may be able to provide advice.
Links to other resources (listed at the end of this document) can also assist.
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2. I haven’t planned a revegetation project before
You may need advice and assistance to apply if you haven’t planned or carried out a revegetation project before, for example if you are a landholder, or your school is interested in applying.
One option is to find a partner organisation with expertise in revegetation that can help you and apply on your behalf. The Application Form has an option for an Applicant to authorise another entity to represent them as long as written agreement has been provided (Guidelines Section 3.1). Remember to provide that organisation with enough time for them to work with you to plan the project and complete the application before the closing time. The authorised entity will enter into the Funding
Agreement and be legally responsible for the delivery of the Project.
Another option is to talk to people from organisations who can advise you about how to best design and carry out your project to meet the Programme requirements, and to apply yourself. Again, make sure you get this advice early so you have enough time to complete the application.
Sources of advice or organisations who could apply on your behalf could include your local NRM regional organisation; the environment officer in your Local Government area; your local Landcare
Network or Landcare Group; or other environmental or conservation organisations in your area. To find your local NRM region, see http://www.nrm.gov.au/regional/regional-nrm-organisations
Using advice will help you to answer some of the questions in the Application form and will contribute to assessment against some of the Assessment Criteria including capacity to deliver.
3. What species should I plant?
Plantings should consist of naturally occurring trees, shrubs and associated understorey species appropriate to the regional area and to the ecological community that is present or was formerly present at the site. Seeds should also be sourced from within the natural regional distribution of the species. Tree and shrub species with the potential height of at least 2 metres when mature will count toward the 20 million tree target.
Plantings should be appropriate to the biophysical characteristics of the Project Site, reflect the structure and composition of the regional native vegetation community and, where appropriate, provide habitat for threatened species. Trees should not be established in ecological communities where they would not naturally form a part of the vegetation community such as in natural grasslands or herb-dominated wetlands. Applicants will be required to provide an overview in the Application
Form of the types of species, vegetation structure and diversity that will be established by the Project.
Information about flora species that are part of EPBC Act threatened ecological communities can be found in Threatened Ecological Community Listing and/or Conservation Advice (see 21. Useful
References).
Species should also be suitable to the Project Site and region over the longer term, taking account of changing climatic conditions. It is important to avoid creating potential invasive species problems by planting inappropriate species. Applicants are asked to describe in the Application how the seeds (for direct seeding and tubestock) have been sourced and are appropriate to the site. Using species from outside their normal range should only be undertaken with expert scientific advice and must be welljustified in the Application.
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4. Where can I carry out a Project?
Projects can take place in urban, peri-urban and regional areas, on both private and public land.
Projects may involve multiple landholders and land titles. Projects must occur within Australia or its territories. Applicants must have the permission of the landholder to undertake a Project prior to submitting an Application and must be able to provide written evidence of this permission, at the request of the Department. Applicants should ensure their Project Sites are on land where trees can be maintained into the future (see Guidelines Sections 5.2 and 5.3).
Projects may consist of one or more Project Sites within a Project area. A Project Site is a geographically defined area where the revegetation will occur (for example, direct seeding or tubestock planting). Applicants will be required to provide location information, including site in their
Application Form. Instructions on how to provide this information will be included in the Application
Form, including how to create a Mapping Polygon (an area shape which describes the spatial dimensions of the Project Site).
The spatial information provided is used in the assessment process for the environmental conservation objective of the 20 Million Trees Programme. Planting sites should be confirmed before Applications are submitted as accurate Mapping Polygons of the proposed planting areas are required. Large
Mapping Polygon/s covering wide areas, for example covering multiple properties where plantings may take place but have not been confirmed or whole Council areas, are not suitable for assessment and should not be submitted.
Applicants should consider how their Project Site/s may contribute to the environmental conservation objective of the project. For example, the Project Sites may provide strategic linkages to reconnect areas of important natural habitat. Or they may extend or buffer existing habitat to promote conservation of threatened species, ecological communities and their habitat.
5. Are multiple Project Sites permitted in a single Project?
Yes. A Project can contain multiple Project Sites, as long as the Applicant has permission from the landholder of each site to carry out the project activities. Applicants must declare in the Application form that they have the permission of the landholder to carry out planting on each site. Use the
Mapping Tool to provide a separate Mapping Polygon for each site in your Application.
6. Must all Project Sites be identified in the Application? Can I apply to plant trees on land that has not yet been identified?
Before Applicants can submit the Application Form, they must declare they have permission from the landholder to carry out Project activities on each Project Site. This declaration cannot be made if the specific sites or landholders have not already been identified. If Applicants knowingly provide inadequate, false or misleading information, the Application may be excluded from the Assessment
Process (see Section 9.1 in the Guidelines). Applications which have not identified all Project Sites or landholders prior to submission are therefore likely to be ineligible to apply. Evidence of landholder permission does not need to be attached to the Application Form but must be provided to the
Department on request if the Application is successful.
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7. How detailed does my site mapping need to be?
It is preferable that you create Mapping Polygons of the actual area to be revegetated using the mapping tool in the application form. Instructions on how to do this are provided from the link in the application form.
If this isn’t possible, at a minimum the Mapping Polygons should indicate the areas where you have landholder agreement to undertake Project Activities. The Mapping Polygons provided in the
Application Form will be used in the assessment process to determine the landscape context of the
Project, so it is important to provide the correct information (also see 4., 5. and 6. above).
8. What is a tree for the purposes of the 20 Million Trees Programme?
Tree and shrub species with the potential height of at least 2 metres when mature will count toward the 20 million tree target, but the Programme supports the associated planting of a mix of native trees, shrubs and understorey species to achieve locally appropriate vegetation structures and to improve environmental outcomes.
9. How do I count trees to be established through my Project?
Applicants will be required to provide:
a realistic estimate of the number of trees that will be established through their Project. This estimate should account for any tree losses that may occur based on average or expected survival rates. The methods used to estimate tree numbers will vary, depending on the revegetation methods used, the information below is provided to help Applicants in providing their estimates.
an estimate of the numbers of plants and shrubs with a potential height of less than 2 metres when mature to be established through the Project. This is required to determine whether the
Project will establish appropriate vegetation structures.
an estimate of the number of trees and shrubs with a mature height of at least 2 metres to be established by direct seeding activities through the Project. The estimate should not include trees and shrubs that will be removed for thinning purposes (to achieve a natural stem density) and should take into account average survival rates.
a description of how the implemented activities will be monitored to measure the longer-term success of the activities and how they will protect the conservation gains from the implemented activities from future loss.
Grant Recipients will be required to report on the actual number of trees surviving during the life of the Project through online progress reports as described in Part 8.4 in the Guidelines, and in the plant survival survey activity form in the Department’s online reporting tool. Grant Recipient s may choose to continue ongoing reporting after the life of the Project. The Department may ask for further information, conduct Project Site visits or arrange inspections by third parties from time to time to monitor the progress of the Project and its compliance with the Programme to confirm survival rates of plantings as specified in the Funding Agreement.
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10. Do I need to account for tree survival?
Applicants need to account for tree mortality and ensure that, at a minimum, the contracted number of trees will be established within the Project timeframe. Applications should convey an understanding of average survival rates and show how this has been factored into the number of trees the Project will establish, and show how they will make good any tree losses if necessary. When providing the Project
Budget, Applicants can either provide financial or in-kind contributions to cover plant losses, or factor plant losses into total tree numbers. The Programme will not provide additional future funds to cover tree losses.
For the purposes of the Programme, trees are considered to be established if they are living at the end of the Project. The number of trees surviving at the end of the Project will be recorded as the number of trees that the Project has contributed to the Programme. The Department may contact Recipients to undertake monitoring or confirm survival rates of plantings beyond the life of the Project as specified in the Funding Agreement.
Applicants can improve tree survival rates through supplementary watering and planting extra trees during the project to cover predicted and actual losses. Planting and seeding techniques that maximise survival in dry periods should also be considered.
11. Can my Project receive recognition under the Emissions Reduction Fund
(ERF) or the Carbon Farming Initiative?
20 Million Trees Projects are not eligible for support under the ERF (see Section 21 of the Carbon
Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015). The exclusion of certain programmes from the ERF is intended to ensure that emissions reductions are not paid for twice by different government programmes. This means that projects can be funded either by 20 Million Trees or the ERF, but not both.
If you are interested in obtaining a tradeable carbon offset credits for a project that is not already a 20
Million Trees Project, information on how to participate in the ERF is available online at http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF .
The Department will calculate the carbon abatement for all Projects funded by the 20 Million Trees
Programme as part of Programme-level monitoring and reporting.
12. Are projects in West Melbourne or the Cumberland Conservation Corridor in
Greater Western Sydney still eligible to apply?
If you have a Project proposal in the west of Melbourne or within the Cumberland Conservation
Corridor in Western Sydney, please contact the 20 Million Trees team at
20milliontrees@environment.gov.au
for more information. You will still be eligible to apply for Round
Two competitive grants funding.
During the 2013 election, the Government made election commitments under the 20 Million Trees
Programme for up to $5 million to green the west of Melbourne, and an additional amount of up to $5 million to improve the Cumberland Conservation Corridor in Greater Western Sydney.
13. Can 20 Million Trees funding be used on public and private land?
Yes. Plantings funded under the Programme can be on either public or private land and in urban, periurban and regional areas. Projects must occur within Australia or its territories. See Section 3 of the
Guidelines for Round Two eligibility and funding requirements.
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14. How long do the plantings need to remain for – how permanent are they?
Plantings funded under the Programme should be maintained for the long-term to ensure sustained environmental and carbon abatement benefits. Applicants are encouraged to explain in their
Application how trees will be maintained in the long term to achieve the Programme Objectives (see
Guidelines Section 5.3). Ongoing Project Site maintenance arrangements described in the Application will be assessed towards Criterion 2 – Commitment to ongoing maintenance (Guidelines Section 7.2).
Funding recipients will be responsible for making-good on tree losses within the life of the Project, and for maintaining Project Sites into the future.
15. What methods can be used to establish trees?
The 20 Million Trees Programme will fund tubestock planting (seedlings), direct seeding and some supporting Activities. Details on eligible, complementary and ineligible Activities are provided in
Section 3.6, Tables 1 and 2 of the Guidelines.
16. How will the community be involved in planting the trees?
Both organisations and individuals are invited to apply for 20 Million Trees Programme grant funding to undertake revegetation projects. All grant applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how their local community supports and/or will be involved in the proposed project.
17. How will the Programme help threatened species and threatened ecological communities?
Planting the right mix of trees and understorey species can help threatened flora and fauna species and threatened ecological communities that have been impacted by habitat loss and fragmentation.
Threatened and migratory fauna species can use the plantings as habitat or as food sources, and threatened flora species can be included in some plantings where appropriate. See the example below about how revegetation can directly benefit a threatened ecological community.
The Central Hunter Valley eucalypt forest and woodland ecological community was just listed as critically endangered under Australia’s national environment law in May 2015. The extent of the ecological community has declined severely — by more than 70 per cent; resulting in a highly fragmented and restricted geographic distribution, loss of many animals and disruption of ecosystem function. The ecological community provides vital habitat for a range of plants and animals including a number of nationally threatened species including the regent honeyeater, swift parrot, spotted-tail quoll, large-eared pied bat, North Rothbury persoonia and Illawarra greenhood.
Guidance and goals for replanting
Planting locally indigenous mixed native species which are appropriate to the ecological community can:
increase the extent and improve the condition and connectivity of native vegetation by increasing the size of habitat patches and connections between existing habitat patches.
Establish new patches in strategic locations to provide critical habitat values will also support the native plants and animals relying on the ecological community.
aid long term protection of the ecological community and reduce the negative effects of habitat loss and degradation
Planting efforts can be focused on particular species needs, such as to provide food resources for birds including the regent honeyeater and swift parrot.
The Minister for the Environment, Hon Greg Hunt, launched the Australian Government’s first
Threatened Species Strategy on 16 July 2015.
The Strategy provides;
a clear and concise policy explanation for why and how the Australian Government engages in threatened species recovery;
an outline of the principles for prioritising our actions and resources;
an action plan involving governments, non-government organisations, the private sector and the community, to immediately address the decline of threatened species; and
targets that measure progress on threatened species recovery.
The Australian Government is committed to achieving the targets set out in the Strategy through new initiatives and existing programmes, like the 20 Million Trees Programme. The targets include addressing Australia’s threatened plants and improving habitat for threatened birds and mammals.
Applicants are encouraged to consider the Strategy when developing their application. A link to the
Strategy is included at 21. Useful Reference Links.
18. Do I have to work with the Green Army?
No. In 20 Million Trees Programme Round Two, you can either apply for a 20 Million Trees Project without any Green Army teams, or you can choose to apply for a 20 Million Trees Project with up to three Green Army teams to assist with the Project. You must meet the requirements of both the 20
Million Trees and the Green Army Programmes. See Part 6 of the Guidelines for more information.
19. Are in-kind contributions essential?
In-kind contributions are not essential but are highly regarded in Assessment Criteria 2 and 5. Projects with high costs and without in-kind contributions could have reduced scores against Assessment
Criterion 5 (value for money).
20. What proportion of the Project budget should be spent putting trees in the ground, compared to site preparation, site maintenance and other activities?
There is no set proportion of the Project Budget that must be spent putting trees in the ground. The
Programme Guidelines and Assessment Criteria recognise that planting trees is one part of establishing successful tree plantings with long-term positive outcomes for the environment and the community.
Project Site preparation and maintenance are also essential for good outcomes, and Projects in different parts of Australia will have different requirements. This need for flexibility is reflected in the
Assessment Criteria. The parts of the Project budget that do have specified limits are:
Project administration (such as Project planning, Project management meetings and running the
Project) – can only be up to 10% of the total project cost
Monitoring and reporting on Project progress and outcomes – can only be up to 5% of the total project cost
Purchase of major capital items– Major capital items with an individual cost of $10,000 or more (GST exclusive) will not be funded (see Guidelines Section 3.7). As a guide no more than 10 per cent of the total funds requested should be requested for asset purchases.
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21. USEFUL REFERENCE LINKS
Monitoring and reporting
Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement Strategy: www.nrm.gov.au/funding/meri/index.html
Matters of National Environmental Significance—lists, tools and plans
Ramsar-listed wetlands
Information on Ramsar wetlands, management plans and ecological character descriptions: http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/water/water-our-environment/wetlands/ramsar-conventionwetlands
World Heritage areas
Information on Australia’s World Heritage areas: http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/heritage/about-australias-heritage/world-heritage
Threatened species and ecological communities
To find site-specific information about Threatened Species and Threatened Ecological Communities, use the
Protected matters search tool: www.environment.gov.au/erin/ert/epbc/index.html
For more detailed information on each nationally listed species and ecological community in your project area, including recovery plans and/or conservation advices, refer to the national Species Profile and Threats
Database via the following links:
Threatened ecological communities: http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publiclookupcommunities.pl
Threatened species : http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl
Migratory species: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicshowmigratory.pl
Key threatening processes listed under the EPBC Act: www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicgetkeythreats.pl
Australian Government Threatened Species Strategy http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/threatened-species-strategy
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National plans and advices established under the EPBC Act:
Recovery plans www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/recovery-list-common.html
Threat abatement plans: http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/threatened-species-ecological-communities/threatabatement-plans
Conservation advice by NRM region (use the above links first): www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/conservationadvice.pl?proc=main
National Strategies
Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010–2030: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/strategy-2010-30/index.html
Australia’s Native Vegetation Framework: http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/australias-native-vegetation-framework
Strategy for Australia's National Reserve System 2009-2030: www.environment.gov.au/node/21198
Other useful links:
Atlas of Living Australia: www.ala.org.au/
Managing national heritage places: www.environment.gov.au/heritage/management/national/index.html
Regional natural resource management plans, issues for the region and contact information: www.nrm.gov.au/about/nrm/regions/index.html
Australian Natural Heritage Assessment Tool (including regional biodiversity summaries): www.environment.gov.au/heritage/anhat/index.html
Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia: http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/water/water-our-environment/wetlands/australian-wetlandsdatabase/directory-important
Exotic and invasive species
Feral animals:
Australian Pest Animal Strategy: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/pest-animal-strategy.html
www.apas.net.au
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Feral animals in Australia: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/index.html
Invasive plants:
The Australian Weeds Strategy: http://www.weeds.org.au/docs/The Australian Weeds Strategy.pdf
Weed spread and management action maps: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/index.html
Atlas of Living Australia: www.ala.org.au/australias-species
Weeds of national significance and other lists of weeds of national interest: www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeds/lists/index.html
Weed management plans, training, weeds facilitator contacts: www.weeds.org.au/
Further information on core attributes for surveying and mapping nationally significant weeds: http://www.environment.gov.au/node/14124
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