TNQ Drought Hub
James Cook University Australia
Search

Climate Smart Agriculture with Reef Catchments Making What You Already Do Work Even Harder

Key takeaway

  • Most graziers are already managing natural assets well. Measuring it properly helps you see what’s working, strengthens business decisions, and creates a baseline for future opportunities.
  • Good land condition has value and this is increasingly recognised in emerging environmental markets, biodiversity credits, and grant programs.
  • Simple herd efficiency improvements can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve business performance.
  • The TNQ Drought Hub’s ESG expert Dr Ana Leite de Almeida presented a session on natural capital assement.

Graziers from across the Mackay and Proserpine catchments came together for a practical two-day Climate Smart Agriculture workshop hosted by Reef Catchments, that turned paddock know-how into measurable climate and business outcomes. The event focused on protecting natural assets while maintaining production, and gave participants hands-on tools for natural capital planning, greenhouse gas accounting and exploring emerging carbon and biodiversity markets.

Dr Ana Leite de Almeida from the TNQ Drought Hub delivered a session on natural capital assessment and the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services to increase long-term sustainable production. Ana explained how a simple natural capital assessment can help graziers see what’s working on their property, make better decisions, and set a baseline for future opportunities in environmental markets.

“As you manage your land well, you’re already building natural capital,” Ana said. “An assessment just shows the value of what you’re doing - and helps you get recognised for it.” For many graziers, this isn’t extra work; it’s a way to measure existing good practice and link land condition to resilience through dry times and stronger long-term productivity.
Ana (second from the left) with other workshop presenters L-R Toni, Jim, Holly and Teagan

Ana emphasised that most graziers are already managing these natural assets well and that a natural capital assessment simply measures and shows that value. Her practical guidance reframed assessment as a useful tool to recognise strengths, sharpen stewardship, and unlock incentives through emerging markets and grant programs.

Alongside Ana, Toni Cottle from the Department of Primary Industries, unpacked the sources of greenhouse gas emissions in grazing systems and demonstrated how herd efficiency improvements can reduce emissions while boosting productivity. Jim Fletcher of Nightcap Consulting shared lessons from project activities and offered guidance on incorporating emissions accounting into everyday business operations.

Through peer-to-peer discussion and hands-on exercises, participants explored how to baseline emissions, track efficiency, and connect their existing management practices to broader carbon and biodiversity goals. The clear message was that reinforcing that climate-smart practice builds on existing management rather than replacing it.

Workshops like these demonstrate that building climate resilience is not about reinventing the wheel, it’s about measuring, valuing, and rewarding the work graziers already do to care for their land.

The Climate Smart Agriculture program supported by the Australian Government through the Natural Heritage Trust is designed to help graziers to build the skills and knowledge to implement and maintain grazing best management practices, with the goal of protecting natural resources in a changing climate.

Expressions of Interest are open for graziers looking to future-proof their farm through the Climate Smart Agriculture program. To learn more or get involved, visit the Reef Catchments.