Pilbara Restoration project (Revoked)

Pilbara Restoration project (Revoked) is a permanent mixed-species environmental planting project located at a site approximately 27km east of Port Hedland in Western Australia. It was registered in October 2016 and covers 1,598.93 ha.

Environmental planting projects operating under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings (FullCAM) methodology involve establishing permanent plantings of native tree species. Standard requirements dictate that the trees must be planted at a density sufficient to reach a minimum height of 2 metres and achieve at least 20% crown cover at maturity.

The Port Hedland area is traditionally known for large-scale pastoral grazing and iron ore mining operations. The region experiences a semi-arid to arid climate with low, highly variable rainfall that is largely cyclone-dependent. The local soils are typically composed of red sands, sandy loams, and stony ironstone.

This project was intended to establish native trees on land that had been predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to commencement. A particularly notable fact about the project is that it originally secured an immense carbon abatement contract (CAC178664) in November 2016 for 4,000,000 units. Delivering 4 million ACCUs from a ~1,600 ha property is biologically improbable for a semi-arid environment, and the contract subsequently lapsed or was terminated in May 2018. The project itself was officially revoked under section 30 of the CFI Rule on 9 April 2018.