Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Squires (Revoked)

Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Squires (Revoked) was an environmental planting project located in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, approximately 35km east of the township of Karoonda and 140km east of Adelaide. Registered in July 2015, the project covered a significant area of 584 hectares. The project operated for just over two years before being voluntarily revoked in August 2017.

The project utilized the "Quantifying Carbon Sequestration by Permanent Environmental Plantings of Native Tree Species using the CFI Reforestation Modelling Tool" methodology. This approach involves establishing permanent forest cover using native species, typically Mallee eucalypts and associated understory in this region, on land that had been cleared for agricultural use for at least five years. Unlike methods that require direct physical measurement of trees, this methodology relied on a computer model (the RMT) to estimate carbon sequestration based on location, species, and management.

The region is defined by its semi-arid climate and dryland agricultural land use, primarily consisting of cropping and grazing. The landscape features dune-swale systems typical of the Mallee, where soils are predominantly deep sands on dunes (Molineaux Sand) and calcareous sandy loams or red sandy clays on the flats. These sandy soils are naturally low in fertility and susceptible to wind erosion, making permanent revegetation a viable strategy for both carbon sequestration and soil stabilization.

The project proponent was Australian Integrated Carbon Financial Services Pty Ltd (now operating as Australian Integrated Carbon), a company specializing in carbon revenue management and aggregation. The "Squires" in the project name likely refers to the participating property or landholder. The project's revocation under section 33 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 indicates a voluntary exit from the scheme, which can occur for various strategic or operational reasons, such as land sales or method transitions.