Farmers to be paid to keep trees on land in pilot scheme to cut carbon

Farmers will be offered a cash payment to prevent trees and shrubs being cleared from their land in a $30 million federal government scheme to show action is being taken on climate change.

Agriculture and Water Resources
Minister David Littleproud.

Food producers will also gain from a "biodiversity bonus" that will create a new seal of approval for supermarket produce that comes from farmers who support revegetation on their land.

The move comes as the Morrison government tries to assure voters it has policies to respond to climate change while at the same time appeasing Nationals MPs who want federal subsidies for coal-fired power stations.

Read the story from The Age by David Crowe -“Farmers to be paid to keep trees on land in pilot scheme to cut carbon.”

As temperatures rise, wildflowers are under stress

Every summer, hikers and photographers look forward to bursting blooms of alpine wildflowers in the high country of the Rocky Mountains. But as the climate changes, temperatures are rising, spring snowmelt is occurring earlier in the year, and shrubs are encroaching – a convergence of stressors that could cause the flowers to appear in smaller numbers or even go extinct.

Photo credit: Gabriella Pardee.

It’s a problem that affects more than just the scenic beauty of the area. A wildflower decline could tip over a series of other dominos in the ecosystem, potentially affecting soil nutrient cycling, pollinators, invertebrate communities, and the food chains that depend on them. Researchers are concerned about these changes and are studying these ecosystems, looking for hints of the changes a warming climate could bring.

Read the story by Kristen Pope from Yale Climate Connections - “As temperatures rise, wildflowers are under stress.”