Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Morella

Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Morella (Project ID: ERF101606) is a significant environmental planting project located across the Murraylands and Riverland regions of South Australia. While the project appears to be anchored at the "Morella" property near Salt Creek, approximately 200km southeast of Adelaide, the provided coordinates indicate a dispersed aggregation of sites. These sites stretch from the coastal Coorong region (near Salt Creek and the Coorong National Park) northwards to the semi-arid Riverland near Loxton and Renmark.

Registered in July 2015, the project covers a substantial area of approximately 5,756 hectares. It is managed by Canopy Nature Based Solutions (formerly Biodiverse Carbon Conservation), which is the environmental markets arm of the non-profit Greening Australia. The project utilizes the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings-FullCAM methodology. This involves establishing permanent native forests on land previously cleared for agriculture (grazing or cropping) for at least five years. Unlike commercial forestry, these plantings are designed for conservation, requiring a specific stocking density of native tree and shrub species endemic to the local area to permanently sequester carbon.

The environmental context varies across the aggregated sites. The southern sites near the Coorong are characterized by coastal mallee scrub, sandy soils with limestone substrates, and moderate rainfall (approx. 450mm). Moving north to the Riverland sites, the landscape shifts to semi-arid Mallee country with lower rainfall (250-300mm), sandy loam soils, and dune systems. The region is traditionally used for dryland cropping and sheep grazing, often on marginal lands where revegetation offers soil stability and salinity benefits.

A notable feature of this project is its focus on biodiversity co-benefits. The "Morella" property itself serves as a critical habitat corridor connecting the Coorong National Park with the Messent Conservation Park. The plantings are designed to support threatened species such as the Malleefowl and migratory shorebirds. The project has undergone significant variations, notably in 2018 when the project area was expanded (likely adding the Riverland sites to the original Morella property) and the methodology was updated to the 2014 FullCAM determination to streamline carbon estimation.