BIOENERGY FROM AGROFORESTRY
An assessment of its potential in the NSW Central Tablelands
PROJECT TEAM
A/Prof John Merson, Dr. Peter Ampt, Dr. Crelis Rammelt and Dr. Alex Baumber
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Background Regional studies are essential for the future development of a bioenergy industry in Australia, but a national model for undertaking such studies is currently lacking. Growth in the bioenergy sector has been largely driven by national and global-scale objectives, such as the desire to reduce dependency on non-renewable and emission-intensive fossil fuels. At the same time, many regions such as the Central Tablelands are experiencing land degradation, declining viability of traditional farming and forestry activities, and increased threats to biodiversity and livelihoods due to climate change. Opportunities exist in this and other regions for new agroforestry industries for generating bioenergy as well as other products derived from plantations that employ a mixture of species and generate multiple resources. These changes in land use have the potential to create new rural industries with economic, social and environmental benefits at a variety of scales.
project objectives
The goal was to assess the potential for agroforestry based around bioenergy production to form a new sustainable land use option in the Central Tablelands of NSW.
In particular, the project aimed to answer the following research questions:
1. What tree crops and bioenergy technologies might be viable in the case study region?
2. What potential economic and social benefits might a bioenergy-based agroforestry industry provide?
3. How might the widespread uptake of agroforestry for bioenergy contribute to landscape-scale natural resource management goals?
4. What incentives and barriers exist for the uptake of such land uses, and what policy measures could be employed to promote and guide them?
We hope that, by seeking answers to these questions, the project has generated knowledge and insights that will be relevant for landholders, investors, regional NRM and investment and planning bodies, and industry participants involved in the bioenergy and forestry sectors.