Carbon & Biodiversity Tara Project (Project ID 1431)

The Carbon & Biodiversity Tara Project (Project ID 1431) is a permanent environmental planting project located in the Strathbogie Ranges, approximately 15 kilometers southeast of Euroa, Victoria. Registered on April 14, 2023, the project covers a small area of 6.93 hectares. The "Project ID 1431" included in the title strongly indicates this project is a participant in the Australian Government's Carbon + Biodiversity (C+B) Pilot. This pilot scheme rewards landholders in specific Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions, in this case, the Goulburn Broken region, for establishing biodiverse plantings that sequester carbon while improving local habitat.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings, FullCAM methodology. This method involves establishing permanent native forests on land that was previously cleared for agricultural use (such as grazing or cropping) for at least five years. As a C+B Pilot participant, the project is required to plant a mix of native tree and shrub species strictly native to the local area to creating shelter for livestock and habitat for wildlife. The planting density must be sufficient to achieve forest cover, generally requiring at least 200 stems per hectare, and the trees must be protected for a permanence period of either 25 or 100 years.

The Strathbogie Ranges region is characterized by a cool temperate climate with higher rainfall than the surrounding northern plains, typically ranging from 700mm to 1000mm annually. The local terrain often features granitic sandy loam soils, which are well-drained but can be acidic. Land use in the immediate vicinity is predominantly agricultural, specifically sheep and cattle grazing, often interspersed with lifestyle properties and remnant native vegetation. The project was varied in August 2023 to remove a conditional status, a common administrative step once initial regulatory requirements (such as NRM plan approvals) are satisfied.