GBR Russell River Catchment Project - Site #1 (Revoked)

The GBR Russell River Catchment Project - Site #1 (Revoked) is a native forest regeneration project located in the wet tropical coast of Far North Queensland. Situated approximately 5km east of the township of Babinda and 60km south of Cairns, the project site lies within the Russell River catchment, a region critical to the health of the nearby Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The area covers roughly 80 hectares of low-lying coastal land, historically characterized by sugar cane cultivation and grazing, often adjacent to significant biodiversity corridors like the Eubenangee Swamp National Park.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology, which credits carbon stored by allowing native forests to regenerate on land where regrowth was previously suppressed. In this specific high-rainfall context, the "suppression" activity identified for management was the presence of non-native plants (weeds). By managing invasive species, likely aggressive tropical weeds such as Pond Apple (Annona glabra) which choke wetlands, the project aimed to facilitate the return of a permanent, even-aged native rainforest or wetland forest. The region is famous for having some of Australia's highest rainfall, often exceeding 4,000mm annually, and features fertile alluvial and basaltic soils that support rapid vegetation growth when undisturbed.

Registered in May 2018 by Terra Carbon Pty Limited (a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group), the project was voluntarily revoked in September 2023 under Section 30 of the CFI Rule. Section 30 revocations are generally initiated by the project proponent and indicate an exit from the scheme, potentially due to landholder changes, project viability assessments, or consolidation into other environmental initiatives. The inclusion of "GBR" in the project title highlights its dual purpose: sequestering carbon while simultaneously improving water quality entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by stabilizing soil and filtering runoff in this priority catchment.