Warakirri Cropping Carbon + Biodiversity Project ID 1517

Warakirri Cropping Carbon + Biodiversity Project ID 1517 is a permanent environmental planting project located on the Cowabbie Mukoora property, approximately 5km southwest of Ardlethan and 65km northeast of Narrandera in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Registered in October 2023, the project covers nearly 195 hectares of land previously utilized for intensive agriculture. It is managed by Warakirri Asset Management, one of Australia’s largest agricultural asset managers, acting as trustee for the Warakirri Agricultural Land Trust II.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings-FullCAM methodology. This method involves establishing permanent mixed-species plantings of native trees and shrubs (such as local eucalypts and acacias) on land that has been clear of forest for at least five years. Rather than physically measuring the trees, carbon sequestration is calculated using the FullCAM computer model, which utilizes specific location data and management records. As an environmental planting, the project likely adheres to a stocking density of at least 200 stems per hectare to ensure canopy formation.

The Ardlethan region sits within the NSW wheat belt, an area characterized by dryland cropping and grazing. The climate is warm temperate to semi-arid with an average annual rainfall of approximately 450mm, 500mm. The soils in this locality are typically fertile red earths (Red Kandosols or Chromosols) and clay loams, which are highly productive for cereal crops like wheat and canola but vulnerable to erosion without vegetative cover.

Notably, the inclusion of "Carbon + Biodiversity Project ID 1517" in the title identifies this as a participant in the Australian Government’s Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot. This program rewards farmers for increasing on-farm biodiversity alongside carbon sequestration, requiring the planting of diverse, locally native species to create habitats. Warakirri has highlighted this specific project in their 2023 Sustainability Report as a pilot initiative to help the organization reach its Net Zero targets while enhancing biodiversity on their large-scale cropping aggregations.