Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #15

Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #15 is an Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth project located approximately 15km west of Mount Perry in the inland Burnett region of Queensland. Registered in November 2020, the project originally covered 1341.27 hectares, though a variation in July 2021 saw some specific areas removed from the project boundary. The project avoids greenhouse gas emissions by ceasing the historical clearing of native forest, choosing instead to protect it over a 25-year permanence period.

Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth projects involve protecting native forest on land that has been historically subject to clearing. Under this methodology, proponents must demonstrate an unrestricted legal right to clear the land again. By forgoing this right and managing the land to allow the forest to thrive, the project retains carbon stored in the vegetation and prevents future emissions that would have occurred from clearing.

The inland Burnett region is characterised by a sub-tropical climate with highly variable, summer-dominant rainfall averaging between 600mm and 900mm annually. The landscape features a complex mix of topographies, and soils in the area range from fertile deep red volcanic soils to granite-derived sandy loams and heavier clays. These environmental conditions make the region highly suitable for its predominant land uses of beef cattle grazing, broadacre cropping, and forestry.

This specific project is located on a property named "Strathmore," which runs a successful cattle grazing enterprise managed by the Dempsey family. The protected native vegetation includes blue gum, ironbark, and lemon-scented gums, which provide much-needed habitat for priority species like koalas and essential shade for livestock. Notably, because the property sits within the Burnett catchment of the Great Barrier Reef, retaining the forest helps control erosion and significantly reduces sediment run-off into the fragile reef ecosystem. Furthermore, income generated from the carbon project has funded vital drought-proofing infrastructure on the property, including four bores and two dams. This has ensured the cattle enterprise remains resilient during dry periods, effectively eliminating the need to cart water or destock during droughts.