Reforestation project

The Reforestation project is an environmental planting initiative located in Chinderah, New South Wales, approximately 15km south of Tweed Heads near the Queensland border. Registered in February 2024, the project covers roughly 30 hectares of land owned by the proponent, Australian Bay Lobster Producers Ltd (ABLP). The site is situated within the company's land-based aquaculture facility, which produces Moreton Bay Bugs on what was historically sugar cane farmland.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings-FullCAM methodology. This involves establishing permanent mixed-species plantings of native trees and shrubs on land that has been clear of forest cover for at least five years. As an environmental planting project, it requires a stocking density sufficient to achieve forest cover (typically over 200 stems per hectare) and aims to restore local ecosystem functions while sequestering carbon.

The Chinderah region is characterized by a subtropical climate with high rainfall, averaging over 1,500mm annually. The terrain consists of coastal floodplains with fertile alluvial soils, which were extensively drained and cleared for sugar cane cultivation in the past. This project represents a transition from intensive agriculture to land stewardship, aligning with the proponent's stated Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals to enhance biodiversity and create wildlife corridors around their aquaculture operations.