Southern Queensland Landscapes Conservation Initiative Site 1

Southern Queensland Landscapes Conservation Initiative Site 1 is an Avoided Clearing project located in the Murweh Shire of southwest Queensland, approximately 80 kilometers southeast of Charleville. Registered in March 2024, the project secures a conservation area of nearly 5,550 hectares within the Mulga Lands bioregion.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with highly variable, summer-dominant rainfall averaging between 300mm and 500mm annually. The local landscape typically features extensive red earth plains and sandy loams (Kandosols) which support resilient Acacia aneura (Mulga) shrublands and eucalypt woodlands. Historically, this area has been heavily utilized for sheep and cattle grazing, a land use that often involves the periodic management or clearing of native regrowth to maintain pasture availability.

The project operates under the Avoided Clearing of Native Regrowth methodology. This framework is designed for landholders who possess the legal right to clear regenerating native forest on land that has been cleared at least twice in the past for agricultural use. Instead of exercising this right to clear the vegetation for grazing or cropping, the project proponent commits to retaining the forest. This activity avoids the emissions that would have resulted from clearing and allows the vegetation to continue sequestering carbon as it matures.

An interesting note regarding this project is its proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, which is a subsidiary of GreenCollar, a major player in the Australian environmental markets. The project represents a shift in the Mulga Lands where landholders are increasingly integrating carbon farming with traditional agriculture, effectively valuing the standing timber as a commodity alongside livestock.