Date: 30/10/2025
Read Time: 3 minutes
Author: Tim Cox
Key points:
- Southland Filtration supports carbon offset projects that regenerates native forests and restores degraded land in NSW & QLD
- The projects help farmers, safeguards wildlife habitats, and delivers tangible environmental and social benefits.
In parts of New South Wales and South West Queensland, decades of land clearing have left deep marks on the landscape. Once thriving ecosystems have been fragmented, and many native plant species, such as Acacia harpophylla (Brigalow) and Eucalyptus populnea (Poplar Box) have struggled to recover. These trees once formed vital habitats for wildlife including sugar gliders, parrots, and countless insect species that keep the ecosystem in balance.
As native vegetation declined, so too did soil health, water quality and biodiversity – while invasive weeds and feral animals took hold. The clearing also contributed to rising greenhouse gas emissions, further amplifying environmental stress.
But through innovative carbon farming projects, that story is changing.
A greener future, one farm at a time
As part of our commitment to environmental stewardship, Southland Filtration has partnered with one of Australia's leading carbon and biodiversity solution providers, Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM), to support these forest regeneration projects. Through these projects, degraded land is being given a second chance. Through careful land management practices, these projects are helping native forests regenerate naturally, while supporting sustainable agricultural practices. By fencing off key areas and managing invasive species, the land is given the time and space it needs to recover.
The result? Healthier soils, restored biodiversity, and a range of economic benefits for communities through the employment of local contractors and use of local services and resources.
How carbon farming works
Each project generates carbon credits in return for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Specifically, these initiatives fall under what's known as Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project methodology, which is underpinned by science. This is a verified method under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme supports the restoration of native vegetation that had been suppressed for more than a decade.
Through targeted land management (stopping clearing, adjusting grazing, and protecting regrowth) the projects enable the native tree forests, commonly consisting of the Mulga tree, to naturally return, capturing and storing carbon along the way.
To qualify as a valid carbon project under this ACCU methodology, the carbon must remain locked away for the long term. Projects are legally required by the Australian Clean Energy Regulator to maintain a 25-year or 100-year permanence, with robust risk management measures in place to protect against bushfires, storms, overgrazing or feral animals. The projects we are supporting through TEM hold a 100-year permanence.
The Mulga tree.
Importantly, each project also meets the principle of additionality – proving that these outcomes wouldn't have happened without intervention and the carbon finance provided through the sale of the project's carbon credits. The regeneration achieved is measurable and continuously monitored under the methodology.
More Than Carbon: Restoring Life to the Land
Allowing native forests to return, provides benefits that extend far beyond carbon capture. Regeneration strengthens the land itself. It improves soil structure, provides shelter for livestock, creates new habitat for many native birds and reptiles, supporting healthier ecosystems for future generations.
By supporting projects like these, we're not just reducing emissions, we're helping the land heal and supporting crucial Australian biodiversity.
By supporting these projects through our carbon credit and climate action partner TEM, we help fund and protect this native vegetation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and restore biodiversity. It's a tangible way to make a meaningful impact — where people, wildlife, and the land all benefit together. That's the kind of future we're inspired to be part of.
Southland Filtration is a leading Australian provider of commercial water filtration solutions. We’ve been helping businesses since 1995 with a focus on quality, custom solutions, and reliable service. We work with businesses and organisations in Australia and New Zealand to address their unique water challenges and maintain the highest standards.
