Cropping is sometimes rotated with periods under sown pasture or fallow. Annual croplands may be irrigated and/or have drainage modifications, and are often subject to artificial nutrient supplementation or other soil ameliorant application.
This category corresponds to IUCN-GET Ecosystem Functional Group T7.1(Annual croplands).
Metric:
Area of ecosystem asset
Please choose a Metric:
Share of natural vegetation in landscape context
Please choose a Metric:
Forage for livestock
Please choose a Metric:
Forage for livestock - monetary value
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
For example, estimate % of total land area covered by ecosystem type, multiplied by total land area.
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Maps showing extent of Australian croplands as a land use type are available at National Map – Catchment Scale Land Use 2020 – Secondary classification (select layer: Catchment Scale Land Use 2020 – Secondary classification, which shows Cropping as a category).
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Data on extent of Australian croplands as a land use type at various scales are available at Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) – Land use data download.
Units
SEEA ES sub-type
Intermediate or final
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
For example, estimate using satellite data or forage budget service providers.
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
For example, model using satellite data plus formal on-site assessment including a stratified sampling scheme and data collection and analysis protocol.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Notes
Grazed biomass provisioning is technically an intermediate service provided to livestock, with the livestock then providing the final service of livestock provisioning. However, following SEEA-EA 2021 (para. 6.56) it is recommended that grazed biomass provisioning is considered as the primary ecosystem contribution. Where there is a mix of ecosystem contributions and human contributions (e.g. through addition of fertiliser) to the grazed biomass provisioning service, ideally the ecosystem contribution should be estimated as a percentage of the total. Likewise, if measured via a proxy such as the stocking rate, corrections should be made for other inputs, such as supplementary feed (unless sourced from the same ecosystem, over the same time period).
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution from residual value. The residual value method (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022) involves deducting user costs (e.g. costs of production, extraction/harvesting and processing, plus financial costs such as depreciation and return on produced assets, minus subsidies on extraction, plus taxes on extraction) from revenues from extracted/harvested products, to derive a monetary value for the ecosystem contribution.
Tier 2
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution from replacement cost, or how much it would cost to feed livestock if the grazed biomass was not available (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022).
Tier 3
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution from observed prices. For example, if grazed land is privately owned and has a market price, then either an explicit price from a rental market or an implicit price derived from the market value of land, assuming a market rate of return, may be used to represent the right to use grazed biomass (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022).
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Notes
Work in progress - Feedback welcome
Units
SEEA ES sub-type
Intermediate or final
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
For example, estimate from internal records, adjusted to include estimated % waste/residues/losses.
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
For example, estimate using in-field, machine or remote sensing data and/or crop production models, adjusted to include estimated % waste/residues/losses.
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
For example, model or measure using in-field and/or machine sensing data, plus modelled or measured waste/residues/losses.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Data on Australian crop production at various scales can be obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics – Data Explorer.
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Notes
Following SEEA-EA (s. 6.4, pp. 134-137), it is recommended that the physical flow of biomass provisioning services is equal to the harvest in gross terms, i.e. before harvest losses, felling residues etc. are deducted.
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution from residual value. The residual value method (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022) involves deducting user costs (e.g. costs of production, extraction/harvesting and processing, plus financial costs such as depreciation and return on produced assets, minus subsidies on extraction, plus taxes on extraction) from revenues from extracted/harvested products, to derive a monetary value for the ecosystem contribution.
Tier 2
Estimate the monetary value of ecosystem contribution by calculating a production function, based on micro-level data on physical inputs and outputs at the farm level, such as land area, labour, machinery, fertiliser etc. (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022).
Tier 3
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution from observed prices. For example, if cropping land is privately owned and has a market price, then either an explicit price from a rental market or an implicit price derived from the market value of land, assuming a market rate of return, may be used to represent the right to use the land to grow crops (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022).
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Notes
Work in progress - Feedback welcome
Units
SEEA ES sub-type
Intermediate or final
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
A variety of greenhouse gas accounting tools for Australian primary industries, some of which include methods to estimate sequestered and/or retained carbon, can be found at the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (PICCC)
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Data on Australian forest and harvested wood product carbon stocks by state/territory and type of forest are available at the latest version of Australia’s State of the Forests Report (select Criterion 5: Maintenance of forest contribution to global carbon cycles).
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Data on Australian carbon stocks are available at Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM).
Notes
The ecosystem service of carbon retention is measured by the opening stock of retained carbon (see SEEA-EA s. 6.4.3, pp. 139-140) as a proxy for the flow of this service. The scope conventionally covers above- and below-ground living and dead biomass and soil carbon up to 2m depth. Carbon retained in harvested wood products should not be considered an ecosystem service (SEEA-EA, s. 6.4.3, pp. 139-140), although it could be included in an entity’s carbon account or impact statement. An increase in retained carbon from year to year should equal the flow of the ecosystem service of carbon sequestration.
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution by multiplying the total amount of carbon stored at the beginning of the accounting period by a suitable cost of carbon, and multiplying this amount by a suitable rate of return to create an annuity representing the flow of retained carbon services. A suitable cost of carbon for Tier 1 might be a social cost of carbon derived from the literature (see discussion of the range of possible values in NCAVES and MAIA, 2022).
Tier 2
N/A
Tier 3
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution by multiplying the total amount of carbon stored at the beginning of the accounting period by a suitable cost of carbon, and multiplying this amount by a suitable rate of return to create an annuity representing the flow of retained carbon services. A suitable cost of carbon for Tier 3 might be a social cost of carbon derived from a national model (see NCAVES and MAIA, 2022).
Example data sources
Internal records
N/A
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Notes
Technically, the full price paid in ERF auctions per tonne of CO₂e sequestered is for the combined services of carbon sequestration and retention for 100 years. However, it can be assumed that the price component for annual retention is small, therefore the ERF price approximates the current value of carbon sequestration services.
Units
SEEA ES sub-type
Intermediate or final
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
A map-based calculator for Australian landholders to estimate their emissions and annual sequestered carbon is available at the Platform for Land and Nature Repair (PLANR)
A variety of greenhouse gas accounting tools for Australian primary industries, some of which include methods to estimate sequestered and/or retained carbon, can be found at the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (PICCC)
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Data on Australian forest and harvested wood product carbon stocks by state/territory and type of forest are available at the latest version of Australia’s State of the Forests Report.
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Data on Australian carbon stocks are available at Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM)
Notes
Additional tools are available to estimate potential changes in net emissions or sequestration from various project activities, such as LOOC-C.
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution by multiplying the total amount of carbon sequestered over the accounting period by a suitable cost of carbon derived from observed prices in a relevant emissions trading scheme (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022). The relevant tier would depend on the granularity and accuracy of the underlying biophysical model and/or measurements used to estimate the physical flow of carbon sequestration services.
Tier 2
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution by multiplying the total amount of carbon sequestered over the accounting period by a suitable cost of carbon derived from observed prices in a relevant emissions trading scheme (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022). The relevant tier would depend on the granularity and accuracy of the underlying biophysical model and/or measurements used to estimate the physical flow of carbon sequestration services.
Tier 3
Estimate monetary value of ecosystem contribution by multiplying the total amount of carbon sequestered over the accounting period by a suitable cost of carbon derived from observed prices in a relevant emissions trading scheme (NCAVES and MAIA, 2022). The relevant tier would depend on the granularity and accuracy of the underlying biophysical model and/or measurements used to estimate the physical flow of carbon sequestration services.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Notes
Work in progress - Feedback welcome
Type
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
Methods for measuring site context, or the percentage of retained remnant vegetation, using GIS can be found in AfN-METHOD-NV-01 “Land Restoration Fund (LRF) Native Vegetation Monitoring Method”, AfN-METHOD-NV-06 “Accounting for Nature and Landcare Farming Native Vegetation Method” , AfN-METHOD-NV-07 “Bush Heritage Australia – Vegetation Assessment Methodology” and AfN-METHOD-NV-08 “Method to assess the productive and environmental condition of permanent perennial pastures throughout Australia“. Methods for measuring neighbourhood context can be found in AfN-METHOD-NV-11 “Tasmanian Vegetation Condition Method”.
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Maps of Australian vegetation types in a given area are available at the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS).
Maps of native and derived vegetation in a given area within the Australian Capital Territory are available at the ACT Government Geospatial Catalogue.
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Data on Australian vegetation types in a given area are available at the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS).
Data on native and derived vegetation in a given area within the Australian Capital Territory are available at the ACT Government Geospatial Catalogue – ACTGOV Vegetation Map 2023.
Notes
Work in progress – feedback welcome.
Type
SEEA ECT Class
Units
Example methods / guidance / references
What are tiers?
Tier 1
Estimate using own judgement and observations
Tier 2
Estimate using third-party professional estimates or public data
Methods for measuring soil pH, soil organic carbon, salinity, extractable phosphorus and groundcover can be found in AfN-METHOD-S-02 “Level 3 Soil Assessment for Productive Land (Landcare)“. Methods for measuring soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil pH, ground cover, salt-affected area/saline extent, soil electrical conductivity and bulk density can be found in AfN-METHOD-S-01 “Land Restoration Fund (LRF) Soil Health Monitoring Method“.
Tier 3
Model or measure based on site-specific surveys/sampling, remote or in-field sensing, laboratory analysis, etc.
Methods for measuring soil acidity, soil organic carbon, salinity, extractable phosphorus and groundcover can be found in AfN-METHOD-S-02 “Level 3 Soil Assessment for Productive Land (Landcare)“. Methods for measuring soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil pH, ground cover, salt-affected area/saline extent, soil electrical conductivity and bulk density can be found in AfN-METHOD-S-01 “Land Restoration Fund (LRF) Soil Health Monitoring Method”.
Example data sources
Internal records
Third-party data sources
Maps of various spatially modelled Australian soil variables are available at the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia – Soil and Landscape Grid Viewer.
Maps of various spatially modelled and measured Australian soil variables are available at Visualising Australasia’s Soils (VAS).
Site-specific measurements or model outputs
Data on various spatially modelled Australian soil variables are available at the Soil and Landscape Grid of Australia – Get the Data.
Data on various measured Australian soil variables (obtained from various state and national data sources) are available at SoilDataFederator.
Data on various measured Australian soil variables are available at the Australian National Soil Information System (ANSIS) Data Portal.
Notes
Example variables relatively easily estimated include % bare ground, % productive land with retained stubble; other soil surface features. A useful reference, particularly for rangelands soils, is Tongway, D.J. and Hindley, N.L. (2004) Landscape Function Analysis: Procedures for Monitoring and Assessing Landscapes. Canberra: CSIRO. More advanced variables include the above plus pH, % SOC, salinity, NPK, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), soil water holding capacity. The depth and/or mass of soil covered by a measurement should be stated, ideally stating values for all layers within the soil profile to at least 1m depth. Advanced variables include all of the above plus biological functioning.