Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Morella

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

Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent plantings of a mix of native tree and shrub species on land predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to commencement. Under the FullCAM methodology, these sites must be planted for conservation rather than commercial forestry, typically aiming for a density of at least 200 stems per hectare using 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 across South Australia's southeast, 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. Originally managed by Australian Integrated Carbon Financial Services, the project transitioned to Biodiverse Carbon Conservation (now Canopy Nature Based Solutions, a Greening Australia company) in 2018. In the same year, the project underwent a variation to expand its total area. The project provides meaningful co-benefits by allowing landholders to share in a percentage of the revenue generated from the carbon credits. Furthermore, Canopy utilizes innovative remote sensing techniques, including drones and satellite imagery, for long-term site monitoring.