Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans get from the environment. Many ecosystem services are relevant to cotton production (e.g. natural pest control, bioremediation of residues, water filtration, spray drift mitigation, prevention of weed invasions and erosion control) as outlined by Reid et al. (2003). Ecosystem services generated on cotton farms also benefit the wider community and as such, attract incentive payments for growers that can supply them (e.g. environmental stewardship payments from the Australian Government) or are tradable assets (e.g. carbon sequestration). Ecosystem services generated by native vegetation on cotton farms therefore have the potential to contribute to farm profits. Currently, many growers are unaware of the potential value of their on-farm native vegetation and those that are aware, may lack the knowledge or skills to determine the condition of their vegetation or manage it for different outcomes.

This project will quantify some of the key services generated by native vegetation on cotton farms, calculate the value of different vegetation communities for ecosystem service provision and determine the impact of management on service provision. Sites will be established in vegetation types common on cotton farms across inland eastern Australia (from Emerald in the north to the Murrumbidgee in the south) to target three services: carbon storage, erosion mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Data collected on the three services will form the basis of spreadsheet calculators that growers can interrogate to discover the value of their vegetation for service provision after accounting for vegetation condition and management. The calculators will be linked to MyBMP and on-ground support from Catchment Management Authorities will be sought to ensure the greatest exposure of the project and promote uptake of the research. This project will develop the tools to encourage an innovative approach to environmental stewardship in the cotton industry.