Maranoa Ecosystem Conservation Project

The Maranoa Ecosystem Conservation Project is an avoided clearing project located approximately 50km north-west of Mitchell in the Maranoa region of Queensland. Registered in March 2016, the project covers a substantial area of 20,271 hectares. The surrounding Maranoa region is predominantly utilized for grazing cattle and sheep, with some areas dedicated to dryland cropping and natural gas extraction.

This project operates under the "Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth" methodology. This type of carbon project involves protecting native forest on agricultural land that has a history of being cleared for grazing or cropping. To be eligible, the landholder must hold a valid legal permit to clear the land again but chooses instead to retain the regenerating forest. The carbon credits (ACCUs) are generated based on the emissions avoided by keeping the trees standing rather than clearing them, calculated using the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM).

Environmentally, the project sits within a semi-arid climate zone, with the region typically receiving highly variable rainfall averaging between 500mm and 600mm annually. The landscape is likely characterized by the Mulga Lands or Brigalow Belt bioregions, featuring vegetation such as Mulga and Poplar Box on soils that generally consist of red earths, clays, and sandy loams.

An interesting note regarding this project is its scale; at over 20,000 hectares, it represents a significant conservation effort in a region historically subject to broadscale land clearing. The proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, holds a carbon abatement contract with the Australian Government, securing the delivery of approximately 180,000 ACCUs over the contract period.