Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Morella

Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Morella is an environmental planting project located at the "Morella" property near Salt Creek and extending across the Murraylands and Riverland regions, approximately 200km southeast of Adelaide in South Australia. It was registered in July 2015 and covers an area of 5,756.04 hectares.

Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent plantings of a mix of native tree and shrub species on land that was predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior. The FullCAM methodology determination requires these sites to be planted for conservation rather than commercial forestry, typically aiming for a density of at least 200 stems per hectare of species endemic to the local area to permanently sequester carbon.

The region encompassing the project's aggregated sites is traditionally known for dryland cropping and sheep grazing. Because the project sites are geographically dispersed, the environmental conditions vary significantly. The southern sites near the Coorong experience moderate rainfall of around 450mm and feature coastal mallee scrub with sandy soils over limestone substrates. In contrast, the northern Riverland sites consist of semi-arid mallee country with lower rainfall (250-300mm), dune systems, and sandy loam soils.

This project was set up to restore native vegetation and create a critical biodiversity corridor connecting the Coorong National Park with the Messent Conservation Park. The reforestation efforts support threatened native species such as the Malleefowl and migratory shorebirds. The project has undergone variations, notably expanding its total area in 2018, and provides co-benefits by allowing landholders to share in the revenue generated from the carbon credits.