Associate Professor (Honorary) Cris Brack from the Australian National University conducts regular independent reviews of human-induced regeneration (HIR) gateway checks to provide additional assurance on the integrity and performance of the HIR project portfolio. This is the review report released in August 2024.
Summary
Assoc Prof Brack found that independent audit reports and our assessments continue to provide strong assurance that projects are being managed properly.
High-resolution remote sensing data and extensive field work evidence were found to support the CER’s assessments of regeneration progress.
The review identified that project proponents have used appropriate methods in classifying the carbon estimation areas and measuring regenerating canopy cover. It also found that proponents have made significant improvements to the quality and quantity of data submitted in support of their projects’ gateway checks.
Assoc Prof Brack reviewed 18 projects that underwent gateway checks following the release of the new HIR gateway audit guideline (PDF 695KB). This includes a requirement for projects to undergo section 215 audits. These are additional audits funded by us to ensure gateway checks comply with legislative requirements.
Similar to the first review (PDF 948KB), Assoc Prof Brack reviewed:
geospatial data
our assessment of the gateway checks
projects’ offsets reports and supporting evidence, including high-resolution imagery and in situ georeferenced data
reasonable assurance audit reports (including for section 215 audits) from independent auditors.
As part of the second review, Assoc Prof Brack also accompanied independent audit teams on their inspections of several Western Australia projects.
The report confirms the conclusions from the first review that no single national-scale model is well suited to making estimates of canopy cover or cover change for these projects.
The review provides further confidence in the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme and the integrity of the HIR project portfolio.