Wandalong Biodiverse Reforestation Project

Wandalong Biodiverse Reforestation Project is a permanent Environmental and mallee planting project located approximately 100km northeast of Geraldton within the Shire of Chapman Valley in Western Australia. It was registered in July 2023 and covers 4,503.89 ha.

Environmental and mallee planting projects involve establishing permanent native forests on land that has been largely cleared for agricultural use for at least five years prior to project commencement. To meet standard requirements, trees must be planted at a sufficient density to eventually reach forest cover, which is legally defined under this framework as having the potential to achieve at least 20% crown cover and a minimum height of 2 metres.

The Chapman Valley and broader northern wheatbelt region are primarily known for intensive agricultural land uses, specifically broadacre cropping and livestock grazing. The region generally experiences a Mediterranean to semi-arid climate characterized by low-to-medium winter-dominant rainfall, and the local soils are predominantly sandy, featuring red sandy loams over clay subsoils.

This project was established to restore a thriving native ecosystem on degraded agricultural land that was no longer economically viable to crop, having historically suffered from severe wind erosion and dryland salinity. A notable feature of the project is its strategic location at the northernmost point of the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor, a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot that had 97% of its original vegetation cleared. By planting locally endemic species such as York gum, Salmon gum, mallee eucalypts, and acacias, the project aims to reconnect crucial wildlife habitats between the Mallee Nature Reserve and the Wandana Nature Reserve. The project's credits have been utilized by corporate offsetters such as MARQ Trustees to achieve organizational carbon neutrality for 2025. Additionally, in June 2025, the project participant officially transitioned from Carbon Neutral Pty Ltd to Wandalong Carbon Pty Ltd atf Wandalong Carbon Trust.