Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water / C2023.050 Carbon Services Provider - Taronga RFT - C2023.050 Carbon Services Provider - Taronga RFT

Since the opening day of Taronga Zoo, Sydney in 1916, much has changed in the role of zoos in society. Historically, once sites of recreation and entertainment for a non-participatory viewing public, the modern zoo has become a vital research and education institute offering immersive learning experiences essential in leading and informing humankind’s efforts in global wildlife conservation and welfare.

 Taronga’s Woodland’s Rewilding Project sits within Taronga’s Strategic Plan, is bolstered by emerging market opportunities, and strongly reinforces the NSW Government agenda in response to biodiversity loss and climate change. Trading in natural capital market opens up new possibilities in response to biodiversity loss, allowing one of the countries foremost conservation organisations, with a demonstrated history in successful business enterprise, to undertake their critical work at scale.  

 

 The NSW Government provided $16m in seed funding to Taronga through the NSW Koala Strategy. This funding is to create more than 5,000 hectares of climate change-resilient habitat for koalas and other threatened species by establishing and restoring new box-gum woodland sanctuaries. Delivery obligations associated with this funding are established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Taronga and the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) dated 16 June 2022.

 

 Taronga estimates significant additional funding (i.e. tens of millions of dollars) is required. Consequently, phase 1 of the MOU requires Taronga commence development of a premium corporate social responsibility mechanism "habitat positive" to deliver a co-benefit (environment, social and economic) value proposition to industry. This would involve project funding from corporate partners who purchase high integrity carbon credits to meet additional project funding requirements.

 

Consequently, on 24 February 2023, Taronga obtained approval from NSW Treasurer to enter a series of financial arrangements under section 6 of the Government Sector Finance Act 2018 including, investments, derivatives and joint venture arrangements to trade Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU). The approval is based on a staged delivery across three or more sites as set out below.

Site	Hectares	Indicative timing
1	300-500	FY24
2	2000-4000	FY25
3	2000-4000	FY26

 This tender relates to site 1 only and is referred to herein as ‘the project’.

Taronga’s preferred approach for the Project is as follows:

• For Taronga to be the sole proponent/owner of the Project, rather than appoint a carbon project developer to partner with Taronga on the Project.

• Accordingly, for Taronga to enter into a services based contract, ideally with a single carbon project services provider, for the provision of all services required for the development, establishment, maintenance and operation of the Project.

• Project Delivery Services Agreement (PDSA)  between Taronga and a single carbon service provider under which Taronga appoints the service provider to undertake all of the services required by Taronga for the delivery of the Project.

• The PDSA will be for a term of seven years with an option to extend.

• The PDSA will also cover Taronga and the service provider’s dealings with a potential landholder including establishing an appropriate agreement with the landholder.

NSW Regions: Northern Sydney

Open Tenders - An invitation to tender by public advertisement with no restriction placed on who may tender. Tenderers will normally be required to demonstrate in their tender that they have the necessary skills, resources, experience, financial capacity, and in some cases licences, accreditations, etc., to fulfil the tender requirements.

This Request For Tender seeks tenders from suppliers to supply Taronga with Carbon Services.

Taronga’s preferred approach for the Project is as follows:

 

• For Taronga to be the sole proponent/owner of the Project, rather than appoint a carbon project developer to partner with Taronga on the Project.

• Accordingly, for Taronga to enter into a services based contract, ideally with a single carbon project services provider, for the provision of all services required for the development, establishment, maintenance and operation of the Project.

• Project Delivery Services Agreement (PDSA)  between Taronga and a single carbon service provider under which Taronga appoints the service provider to undertake all of the services required by Taronga for the delivery of the Project.

• The PDSA will be for a term of seven years with an option to extend.

• The PDSA will also cover Taronga and the service provider’s dealings with a potential landholder including establishing an appropriate agreement with the landholder.

No