Glenthorne Farm & Southern Adelaide Biodiverse Carbon Rehabilitation

Glenthorne Farm & Southern Adelaide Biodiverse Carbon Rehabilitation is an environmental planting project located at O'Halloran Hill, approximately 16km to 18km south of the Adelaide CBD in South Australia. It was registered in January 2019 and covers a project area of 540.84 hectares.

Environmental planting projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative involve establishing permanent plantings of a mix of native tree species to achieve forest cover, typically requiring planting at a density of at least 200 stems per hectare.

The O'Halloran Hill and surrounding southern Adelaide region has historically been used for agricultural purposes such as grazing and cropping, though the landscape is now rapidly transitioning into suburban development, recreational spaces, and conservation corridors. The area experiences a moderate Mediterranean climate with an annual rainfall typically ranging between 500mm and 685mm. The local soils are predominantly characterised as calcareous clay loams and red-brown earths overlying a deep Hindmarsh Clay profile.

This project was established by the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) to rehabilitate land that was predominantly used for agriculture for at least five years prior to project commencement, utilising tree species that are native to the local area. Notably, the project footprint encompasses the historic Glenthorne Farm, which has recently been transformed into the Glenthorne National Park-Ityamaiitpinna Yarta. This new national park preserves a massive green open space for the community and features South Australia's largest nature-based adventure playground. Furthermore, the local council, the City of Marion, has actively explored opportunities to partner with the State Government on this specific sequestration project to help offset their corporate emissions.