Buddha in the Bush Ceduna Sanctuary

Buddha in the Bush Ceduna Sanctuary is an environmental planting project located approximately 5 kilometers north-east of the coastal town of Ceduna on the far west coast of South Australia. Registered on August 21, 2024, the project covers a total area of 532.49 hectares. The region surrounding Ceduna is historically defined by mixed dryland farming, primarily cereal cropping (wheat and barley) and sheep grazing, situated at the edge of the Nullarbor Plain.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings (FullCAM) methodology. This involves establishing permanent forest cover using a mix of native tree species on land that has been cleared of forest and used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to the project's commencement. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the planting must achieve forest cover, typically defined as trees reaching at least two meters in height with a canopy cover of at least 20%, and must be maintained permanently (in this case, likely for a 25-year permanence period).

Environmentally, the project is situated in a semi-arid climate zone. The area typically receives low average annual rainfall, often hovering around 290mm to 300mm, which presents challenges for reforestation and necessitates the use of hardy, drought-tolerant local species. The soil composition in this region usually consists of calcareous earths, sandy loams, and solonised brown soils typical of the dune systems found on the Eyre Peninsula.

A unique aspect of this project is its proponent and naming convention. The project is developed by Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the major environmental markets investor GreenCollar. The name "Buddha in the Bush" links the project to a Buddhist nature conservation initiative that acquires land for the dual purpose of creating animal sanctuaries and establishing forest hermitages for monastics. This suggests the project blends carbon finance with spiritual and conservationist land stewardship goals, utilizing carbon credits to support the acquisition or rehabilitation of the sanctuary land.