Ichthys Biosequestration Assessment Project

Ichthys Biosequestration Assessment Project is a Reforestation and Afforestation project located across two main sites in southern Western Australia, with one site situated approximately 60km northwest of Albany in the Shire of Plantagenet, and the other roughly 45km southeast of Ravensthorpe. It was registered in September 2015 and covers an area of 707.72 hectares.

Projects operating under the Reforestation and Afforestation (1.2) methodology involve establishing permanent plantings of trees on land that was previously clear of forest and predominantly used for agricultural purposes. The standard requirements for this specific method involve conducting a full field inventory to measure project trees within sample plots and applying allometric functions to accurately estimate the carbon stock stored in the established biomass.

The Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia are heavily utilized for broadacre agriculture, primarily wheat cropping and sheep grazing. The area is characterized by a Mediterranean to semi-arid climate with moderate winter rainfall. The regional soils typically consist of sandy loams and duplex soils over clay subsoils, which are highly susceptible to elevated water tables and severe dryland salinity due to historical land clearing.

This project was established by INPEX Operations Australia, with CO2 Australia acting as the project agent, as a biosequestration initiative to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the massive Ichthys LNG development. It features permanent plantings of deep-rooted, drought-resistant mallee eucalypts, specifically Blue Mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) and York Gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba). In addition to sequestering atmospheric carbon, these native mallee trees deliver significant co-benefits to the degraded farmlands by absorbing excess groundwater, lowering saline water tables, reducing soil salinity, and providing essential windbreaks and shelter for crops and livestock.