Western Australia Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program Design
Customer challenge
The Western Australia Carbon Farming and Land Restoration Program (CF-LRP) aims to promote carbon farming practices that align with Australia’s voluntary carbon market and achieve environmental, social, and economic co-benefits. The challenge was to design a program that supported this primary objective while also enabling a range of other competing objectives to be delivered over time. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) required support to balance trade-offs between objectives and deliver an effective program.
Ricardo Solution
Ricardo was engaged to assist in the design of the CF-LRP with the following approach:
- Barrier Analysis and Solutions: Identified barriers to program objectives through a structured analysis framework designed to identify recommended levers that overcome these challenges, such as program design options and contractual arrangements.
- Program Design Support: Provided comprehensive program design recommendations to overcome barriers, manage trade-offs and ensure the program delivered multiple outcomes over time, including market sustainability, project diversity, participant knowledge building, innovation, and value-for-money investments.
- Selection Metrics and Tools: Developed selection metrics and a decision support tool for DPIRD to assess proposals received under the CF-LRP, ensuring the evaluation process could efficiently implement the intended program design.
Customer benefit
Ricardo helped shape a robust CF-LRP that encourages effective carbon farming practices in Western Australia. The program is now equipped to enhance participation in carbon farming while delivering environmental, social, and economic co-benefits. The program design will be used to build knowledge and capability, including for the development of new voluntary carbon market methodologies. The selection metrics and decision support tool provide a structured approach to evaluating proposals, enhancing the program's efficiency and impact.