This show was broadcast on Monday 10th April 2017

Guests:

• Elena Garcia and Alan Broughton, the authors of the book
  Sustainable Agriculture versus Corporate Greed.
• Quinn Ollivier, ecologist and expert on sea grass and mangrove sequestration of carbon

In this show we go from a North Queensland cattle farm to the seagrass beds of coastal Australia.

Climate change prompts us to think about threats to crops and the opportunities of land use. The BZE Landuse discussion paper is a great starting point.

We looked at croplands with farmer Colin Seis last week and in this show we find out how well-managed cattle farming can reduce the carbon emissions of bush fires.

Elena Garcia is a firefighter as well as a cattle farmer. She talks about insurance for farmers, harvesting of feral animals and protection of our water sources from mining. Elena’ aim is to be a bridge between  city people  who transport purchase and eat food and the rural people who produce it.  For Elena it is all about protecting water, protecting the food supply and protecting the ability of soils to fix carbon long term.

Quinn  Ollivier specialises in the sediment underlying salt marshes, seagrass beds and mangroves. He is a part of team whose research may result in Blue Carbon credits becoming part of national and global carbon accounting calculations.

He talks about the wealth of biodiversity and fishing that is protected by mangrove forests and how these and seagrass beds sequester huge amounts of carbon.

Blue Carbon stocks are worth billions in carbon credits.  So in the great quest to draw down carbon, maintaining seagrasses and mangroves can be just as valuable if not more so than destructive coastal real estate.