CSP aims to inform landholders, policymakers and the public about the potential for carbon to be sequestered by land use changes in the lower rainfall areas of New South Wales (<900 mm per year), a region not well catered for by traditional forestry models. The Carbon Sequestration Predictor (Version 3.1) predicts the likely changes in both biomass (trees, shrubs and grasses) and soil carbon associated with a number of land use changes, including clearing.
The Carbon Sequestration Predictor is easy to use. Inputs required are the current land use, proposed land use, mean annual rainfall, soil type and a site modifier to adjust for local conditions. Predicted carbon sequestration is based on the best current information on the impacts of the land use changes in <900 mm year-1 rainfall zone.
The Carbon Sequestration Predictor was used as a stand-alone tool by the New South Wales Environmental Services Scheme (ESS) and later incorporated into the Strategic Landscape Investment Model, to inform resource allocation so that funding to support land use change is directed to maximise environmental benefit. This Version has now been integrated into the SCaRPA (Site and Catchment Resource Planning and Assessment) decision support system developed through the TOOLS2 project (see the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority (www.murrumbidgee.cma.nsw.gov.au).
