Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Aboriginal Lands Trust (Revoked)

Biodiverse Carbon Conservation Aboriginal Lands Trust (Revoked) was an environmental planting project situated across two distinct areas of the Aboriginal Lands Trust (ALT) estate in South Australia. The project sites were located in the Coorong and Murray Mallee regions; one site was positioned approximately 25km southeast of Meningie near the Coorong lagoon, while the second was roughly 40km east of Tailem Bend. Registered in July 2015 and revoked in August 2017, the project covered an area of 148.85 hectares.

The project operated under the Carbon Farming (Quantifying Carbon Sequestration by Permanent Environmental Plantings of Native Tree Species using the CFI Reforestation Modelling Tool) Methodology Determination 2012. This methodology requires the establishment of permanent native forests on land that has been clear of forest cover for at least five years. Projects of this type typically involve planting a mix of local native species, such as mallee eucalypts, melaleucas, and acacias, at a density sufficient to achieve forest canopy cover (at least 20% crown cover) and a height of two meters.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate, with annual rainfall generally ranging between 350mm and 450mm, decreasing as one moves inland from the coast. The landscape consists largely of dune-swale systems typical of the Murray Mallee. Soils in these locations are predominantly sandy loams, deep sands, or shallow sands over calcrete (limestone), often requiring careful management due to low fertility and water-repellence issues. Regional land use is a mix of dryland cropping (cereal grains), sheep grazing, and conservation reserves.

This project is notable for its proponent structure. Biodiverse Carbon Conservation was a joint venture between Australian Integrated Carbon (AI Carbon) and the environmental NGO Greening Australia. The project was designed to generate carbon credits while providing environmental and social benefits to the Aboriginal Lands Trust. The project was revoked under Section 33 of the CFI Act, which indicates a voluntary revocation requested by the proponent, rather than a forced cancellation by the regulator.