Jebs Afghan Paddock Carbon + Biodiversity ID 1134

Jebs Afghan Paddock Carbon + Biodiversity ID 1134 is a permanent environmental planting project located in the locality of Pygery, approximately 12 kilometers northwest of the township of Wudinna on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. Registered on October 7, 2022, the project encompasses 47.53 hectares of land that was historically utilized for dryland agriculture, specifically cereal cropping and livestock grazing which are the dominant land uses in this region.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings (FullCAM) methodology. This method requires the establishment of native tree and shrub species indigenous to the local area on land that has been clear of forest cover for at least five years. The plantings must be permanent and stocked at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover, typically requiring at least 200 stems per hectare.

A key feature of this project is its participation in the Australian Government's Carbon + Biodiversity (C+B) Pilot, as indicated by the "ID 1134" designation. This pilot scheme rewards farmers for planting diverse, mixed-species vegetation to improve local biodiversity, rather than simple monocultures. By participating, the project aims to generate biodiversity payments in addition to Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).

The Wudinna district is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 260mm to 300mm. The landscape typically features calcareous and sandy loam soils, which are productive for wheat and barley when rainfall is adequate but can be fragile. The proponent, Kelvin Scholz, is part of a prominent multi-generational farming family in the Wudinna area, well-documented in regional agricultural reports for their contributions to Eyre Peninsula farming systems.