Environmental Plantings in NPWS Reserves - Pilot Project stage 3

Environmental Plantings in NPWS Reserves - Pilot Project stage 3 is a multi-site aggregated environmental planting project located across diverse regions of New South Wales. Registered in October 2019, the project encompasses approximately 755 hectares of land managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The project sites are geographically dispersed, ranging from the semi-arid north-west near Walgett and the sub-tropical North Coast near Grafton, to the cool Southern Tablelands near Braidwood and the peri-urban fringes of the Sydney Basin near Windsor and Picton.

This project utilizes the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology, which involves establishing permanent native forests on land that was historically cleared for agriculture. Under this method, the project proponent plants a mix of tree and shrub species native to the specific local area, such as eucalypts, acacias, and belahs, at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover (typically over 200 stems per hectare). The "FullCAM" designation indicates that carbon abatement is calculated using the Australian Government's Full Carbon Accounting Model, rather than direct field measurements alone.

Given the wide geographic spread of the project areas, the environmental conditions vary significantly. The western sites near Walgett experience a semi-arid climate with lower rainfall and generally heavy clay or alluvial soils, typical of grazing and cropping country. In contrast, the coastal and tableland sites (Grafton, Braidwood, Sydney Basin) benefit from higher rainfall and temperate to sub-tropical conditions, supporting more dense vegetation on soils ranging from coastal sands to granite-derived loams.

A notable aspect of this project is its role in the NSW Government's "Carbon Positive by 2028" strategy. As a pilot initiative, it demonstrates how land acquired for the national park estate, which often includes former agricultural properties, can be rehabilitated to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). These credits are intended to offset the operational emissions of the NPWS, effectively using conservation land restoration to achieve net-zero and carbon-positive targets for the agency.