Thiaki Rainforest Restoration

Thiaki Rainforest Restoration is an environmental planting project located approximately 12km southwest of Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. Registered in June 2014, the project covers roughly 45 hectares of land that was historically cleared for pasture. The region is renowned for its dairy farming and grazing operations, situated within the high-biodiversity Wet Tropics bioregion.

The project operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) environmental planting methodology, which involves establishing permanent native forests on land that has been clear of forest cover for at least five years. The planting model utilizes a mix of species native to the local area to sequester carbon and restore habitat. The Atherton Tablelands environment is characterized by high tropical rainfall (averaging 1500–2000mm annually) and fertile, deep red volcanic (basaltic) soils, providing ideal conditions for rapid rainforest regeneration.

Distinct from standard commercial carbon projects, the Thiaki Rainforest Restoration serves as a significant scientific demonstration site. Owned and managed by ecologists Penny van Oosterzee and Noel Preece (Biome 5 Pty Ltd), the site hosts the "Thiaki Rainforest Restoration Trials." These trials, conducted in collaboration with researchers, investigate the cost-effectiveness of various reforestation techniques, including planting density and species diversity. The project successfully fulfilled its carbon abatement contract (CAC102306) with the Australian Government in 2018, delivering over 20,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).