Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #13

Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #13 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 35 kilometers south of Miriam Vale and 60 kilometers northwest of Bundaberg in Queensland. Registered on January 16, 2020, the project covers a relatively small area of 380 hectares within the Gladstone Regional local government area. The surrounding region is predominantly utilized for cattle grazing and forestry, industries that historically contributed to land clearing in the area.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology, which involves regenerating permanent even-aged native forests on land where vegetation was previously cleared and regrowth suppressed. Unlike environmental planting, HIR projects rely on assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. To achieve this, the proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, manages the timing and extent of grazing and controls non-native plant species, allowing the native forest to re-establish itself over time.

Situated within the Great Barrier Reef catchment, the project area experiences a high rainfall climate, with nearby Miriam Vale recording an average annual rainfall of approximately 1,120 mm. The landscape is characterized by sodic duplex and gradational soils (often classified as Sodosols or Dermosols), which can be prone to erosion. By re-establishing native forest cover, this project not only sequesters carbon but likely contributes to the broader goals of the Catchment Conservation Alliance initiative: reducing sediment runoff into waterways to improve water quality for the Great Barrier Reef.