Cape York Dry Rainforest Restoration Project (Revoked)

Cape York Dry Rainforest Restoration Project (Revoked) is an Environmental planting project located approximately 20km northwest of Cooktown in Far North Queensland. It was registered in April 2021 and covers a project area of 14.09 hectares.

Environmental planting projects involve establishing permanent plantings of native tree species to achieve forest cover and sequester carbon. Under the standard methodology, this typically requires planting at a minimum density of 200 stems per hectare on land that has been cleared of forest for at least five years.

The Cape York region surrounding Cooktown has historically been used for agricultural purposes, such as cattle grazing and pastoral leases. The region features a tropical monsoonal climate with a high, distinctly seasonal rainfall classification, while the local soil types vary significantly, featuring everything from granitic sands and basalt plateaus to alluvial clays.

This project was established by South Endeavour Trust, a privately funded conservation land trust that manages numerous protected reserves across Australia. It involved planting tree species native to the local area on land that had been predominantly used for agricultural purposes prior to the project's commencement. In addition to attempting to restore dry rainforest to benefit native wildlife and protect the Great Barrier Reef catchment from sedimentation caused by erosion, South Endeavour Trust actively manages local environmental threats, including conducting the aerial culling of feral horses that damage delicate stream banks. Interestingly, despite these conservation efforts, this specific carbon project was officially revoked under Section 30 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule in November 2022.