Stirling Lotus Vale (Revoked)

Stirling Lotus Vale (Revoked) was a Savanna Fire Management project located approximately 100km north-east of Normanton in the Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland. Registered in July 2015, the project covered a vast area of over 126,000 hectares. The project area coincides with the Stirling Lotus Vale cattle station, which is part of the Gulf Coast Agricultural Company's portfolio. The property is situated near the Gilbert River and is primarily used for large-scale cattle breeding and backgrounding operations.

The project operated under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Emissions Abatement through Savanna Fire Management) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology involves the strategic application of planned burns during the early dry season (typically January to July) to reduce the fuel load. By doing so, land managers aim to prevent large, high-intensity wildfires during the late dry season (August to December), which release significant amounts of methane and nitrous oxide. This specific project was classified within the "low rainfall zone," which generally refers to savanna areas receiving between 600mm and 1000mm of average annual rainfall.

The environmental landscape of the Gulf Savannah region is characterized by tropical climate patterns with distinct wet and dry seasons. The terrain typically consists of seasonally inundated floodplains, marine plains, and sandy loam soils that support native tropical grasses. While the project was contracted in April 2016, it was short-lived; the contract was terminated in January 2017, and the project was formally revoked in May 2017 under section 33 of the Carbon Farming Initiative Act. The property itself remains a significant agricultural asset, often associated with the Menegazzo family's extensive pastoral holdings.