Merluna Station

Merluna Station is a Savanna Fire Management project located approximately 120km southeast of Weipa on the remote Cape York Peninsula in North Queensland. It was registered in September 2014 and covers an expansive 169,639 hectares.

Savanna fire management projects involve the strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season. By safely managing fuel loads early in the year, these projects significantly reduce the risk, intensity, and frequency of late dry season wildfires. Because early dry season fires are cooler and patchier, this methodology leads to a substantial reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be released by intense, uncontrolled blazes.

The remote Cape York region is characterized by vast open landscapes and is predominantly used for large working cattle stations and outback tourism, including camping and station stays. The environment falls within a tropical high rainfall classification, experiencing distinct wet and dry seasons, and typically features lateritic red earths and sandy loam soils.

The carbon project has undergone several administrative updates since its inception, including a methodology variation in 2017 to operate under the newer 2015 methodology determination. Additionally, the official project proponent was varied from Country Carbon Pty Ltd to Terra Carbon Pty Limited in September 2022. As an interesting commercial note, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by the Merluna Station project have been purchased and retired by major national corporations, such as Coles Supermarkets, to fulfill their corporate emissions offset requirements.