Terra Grata Biodiversity Project (Revoked)

The Terra Grata Biodiversity Project (Revoked) was a carbon sequestration initiative located in the Shire of Morawa, approximately 35 kilometers northwest of the township of Morawa in Western Australia. Registered in July 2015 and covering a substantial area of 984 hectares, the project was situated within the northern wheatbelt region. This area is traditionally characterized by broadacre cropping (wheat and canola) and livestock grazing, though the specific project site was focused on restoring degraded agricultural land.

The project operated under the "Quantifying Carbon Sequestration by Permanent Environmental Plantings of Native Tree Species using the CFI Reforestation Modelling Tool" methodology (2012). This method required the establishment of permanent plantings of native tree species on land that had been clear of forest for at least five years. Unlike monoculture plantations, the Terra Grata project emphasized biodiversity, utilizing a mix of over thirty endemic, drought-resistant species, such as mallee eucalypts, to create a "carbon sink." A key objective of the proponent, Auscarbon Pty Ltd, was to rehabilitate salt-affected and non-viable farmland, returning it to a state closer to its original natural vegetation.

Environmentally, the region experiences a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and rainfall predominantly occurring in winter. Average annual rainfall in this transition zone between the coast and the inland wheatbelt sits between 300mm and 400mm. The soil profile is typical of the Western Australian "sandplains," featuring sandy loams and deep yellow sands which can be prone to salinity and wind erosion when cleared of deep-rooted vegetation.

The project was voluntarily revoked in February 2018 under section 30 of the CFI Rule. While the specific commercial reasons for revocation are not public, section 30 revocations are proponent-initiated and can occur when a project is restructured, land is sold, or the proponent wishes to transition the project to a newer methodology (such as the 2014 FullCAM method). "Terra Grata" is Latin for "Grateful Earth," reflecting the project's restorative intent.