Little Cathedral Forest Project Carbon + Biodiversity R2 - 1488

Little Cathedral Forest Project Carbon + Biodiversity R2 - 1488 is an environmental planting project located approximately 3 kilometers southeast of the small township of Taggerty in Victoria, nestled in the foothills near the Cathedral Range State Park. Registered on December 12, 2022, the project covers 12.47 hectares of land within the Murrindindi Shire. The site is situated in the Goulburn Broken Natural Resource Management region, an area traditionally utilized for grazing and mixed agriculture, alongside significant lifestyle and tourism land uses due to its scenic proximity to the Cathedral Range.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings-FullCAM methodology, which involves establishing permanent native vegetation on land that has been clear of forest for at least five years. As an environmental planting, the objective is to restore local ecosystem complexity by planting a mix of native tree and shrub species at densities capable of achieving forest cover (typically requiring at least 20% canopy cover and potential heights exceeding 2 meters). This specific project was developed under Round 2 of the Australian Government’s Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot, a scheme designed to reward farmers for increasing on-farm biodiversity. Consequently, the project activities include planting species strictly native to the local area in accordance with a biodiversity protocol developed by the Australian National University.

Environmentally, the region enjoys a high rainfall classification, benefiting from its position in the Great Dividing Range foothills. The soils in this part of the Acheron River valley and surrounding slopes are typically friable loams to clay loams derived from sedimentary rock or granite. These conditions are generally favorable for rapid tree growth and carbon sequestration. The project's inclusion in the Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot highlights its dual focus: sequestering carbon to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) while simultaneously providing verified habitat improvements for local wildlife.