Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #8

Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #8 is an Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth project located on Goondicum Station, roughly 35km southwest of Miriam Vale and 60km west of Agnes Water in Central Queensland. Registered in May 2020 by Terra Carbon Pty Limited (a GreenCollar company), the project covers a substantial area of approximately 6,784 hectares. The site is situated within the headwaters of the Burnett River catchment, a critical area for managing water quality flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

The project operates under the Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth methodology. This method generates carbon credits by protecting native forest on land that has a history of clearing and where the landholder holds an unrestricted legal right to clear the vegetation again (typically for pasture maintenance). By forfeiting this right and allowing the forest to regenerate and mature, the project prevents emissions that would have occurred during clearing and sequesters carbon in the growing trees.

Environmentally, the project area is significant due to its location within the Goondicum Crater, a landscape feature that contributes to unique soil profiles, likely including nutrient-rich volcanic soils (Ferrosols) and self-mulching clays (Vertosols) common to the region. The area experiences a subtropical climate with summer-dominant rainfall, supporting both the native eucalypt woodlands and the cattle grazing operations that coexist with the project.

A notable feature of this initiative is its dual focus on carbon abatement and biodiversity conservation. As part of the broader "Catchment Conservation Alliance," the project is designed to deliver co-benefits such as sediment reduction. By retaining vegetation cover on these grazing lands, the project helps stabilize soil and reduce runoff into the Burnett River, directly contributing to improved water quality for the Great Barrier Reef. This alignment often allows such projects to generate both Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and potentially Reef Credits.