We’re excited to share that we will be signing up to participate in the Cassowary Credit Scheme in 2026, ahead of our upcoming planting and restoration season. We are working closely with Terrain NRM to get everything in place and are looking forward to being part of this innovative program.
Our first Cassowary Credits will be applied to restoration work at Gurrbum Nature Refuge in Maadi, an important site for rainforest recovery and cassowary habitat.
What are Cassowary Credits?
The Cassowary Credit Scheme is a biodiversity credit program developed by Terrain NRM. In simple terms, it puts a measurable value on improving the health of rainforest ecosystems.
When landholders restore degraded rainforest by planting native species, controlling weeds, and protecting habitat, those improvements can be independently measured and verified. Each verified improvement generates Cassowary Credits, which can then be sold to organisations looking to support real, on-ground biodiversity outcomes.
Unlike donations, these credits are tied to tangible ecological improvements that are monitored and maintained over time.
How Cassowary Credits work alongside carbon credits
One of the most exciting aspects of the scheme is that Cassowary Credits can be generated alongside Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). This is known as “stacking”.
In practical terms, this means that a single restoration project can deliver both carbon storage benefits and biodiversity benefits, with each assessed separately. Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator has formally endorsed this approach, making it the first time biodiversity and carbon credits can be generated on the same site under approved frameworks.
This creates new opportunities for landholders to diversify income while restoring rainforest.
Why this matters for landholders and the community
Cassowary Credits offer a positive incentive for restoring cleared or degraded land, especially in areas where farming or other commercial uses are limited.
Key benefits include:
- Additional income streams for landholders undertaking genuine restoration
- Support for long-term stewardship, with projects committed to 25 years of maintenance
- Stronger rainforest corridors for cassowaries and other native wildlife
- Investment into local conservation, rather than offsetting damage elsewhere
Importantly, the scheme focuses on real improvements on the ground, not hypothetical outcomes.
Safeguards that ensure integrity
To ensure the scheme delivers lasting benefits, several safeguards are built in:
- A 25-year permanence requirement to protect restoration outcomes
- A risk buffer, with a portion of credits held in reserve in case of unexpected losses
- Independent measurement and verification of biodiversity improvements
- Clear rules to ensure projects deliver additional benefits beyond what would have happened anyway
These measures help maintain trust in the scheme and confidence for both landholders and credit buyers.
Interested in restoring part of your property?
If you are a landholder interested in revegetating part of your property and would like to explore whether Cassowary Credits might be suitable, we encourage you to get in touch with us at C4. We are happy to talk through the process, what’s involved, and whether this pathway makes sense for your land.