Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #18

Catchment Conservation Alliance - Great Barrier Reef Initiative Site #18 is an avoided clearing project located approximately 40km south-east of Biloela in the Banana Shire, Queensland. Registered in November 2022, the project covers 1,223 hectares of land in the Central Queensland region. The project area operates within the Fitzroy Basin, a critical catchment for the Great Barrier Reef, which aligns with the initiative's broader environmental goals.

The project operates under the Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth methodology. This method is designed for landholders who have the legal right to clear native vegetation that has regenerated on historically cleared land. To be eligible, the land must have been cleared at least twice in the past for grazing or cropping purposes. By agreeing not to exercise their right to re-clear this vegetation, the proponent ensures the carbon remains stored in the biomass, generating carbon credits for the avoided emissions.

The region is characterized by a sub-tropical, semi-arid climate with rainfall averaging between 600mm and 700mm annually, predominantly falling in the summer months. The landscape is typical of the Brigalow Belt, often featuring fertile cracking clay soils (Vertosols) and texture-contrast soils that historically supported dense acacia scrub before being cleared for agriculture. The primary land use in the surrounding area is beef cattle grazing, with some dryland cropping in the flatter valley floors.

The project is managed by Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of GreenCollar, Australia's largest environmental markets investor. The "Catchment Conservation Alliance" branding suggests a strategic aggregation of properties aimed at delivering co-benefits beyond carbon sequestration, specifically the reduction of sediment and nutrient runoff into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by stabilizing soils through permanent vegetation cover.