Caddigat Restoration Project

Caddigat Restoration Project is an environmental planting project located in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales, approximately 12 kilometers southeast of the township of Adaminaby and 40 kilometers northwest of Cooma. Registered in August 2024, the project covers a significant area of 735.86 hectares. The surrounding Monaro Tablelands are historically renowned for high-value merino wool and cattle grazing, as well as forestry and trout fishing tourism.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings methodology. This involves establishing permanent plantings of mixed native tree and shrub species on land that was previously cleared for agricultural use. To generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the planting must occur at a density sufficient to achieve forest cover, typically requiring at least 200 stems per hectare with the potential to reach two meters in height and 20% canopy cover. These plantings are designed to permanently store carbon while restoring local biodiversity.

The environmental setting is characteristic of the Monaro "high country," featuring a cool temperate climate with cold winters and an average annual rainfall between 600mm and 700mm. The landscape is defined by its rolling treeless plains and undulations, often supported by basalt-derived soils (such as brown dermosols or ferrosols) which are fertile but can be shallow, alongside areas of granitic origin. The region is situated at a high altitude, often exceeding 900 meters above sea level, which influences the selection of frost-hardy native species for the restoration.

An interesting aspect of this project is its location on or near the "Caddigat" aggregation, a property famous in the region for its extensive privately constructed lake system and trout fishery. The proponent, Canopy Nature Based Solutions (a subsidiary of Greening Australia), focuses on high-integrity environmental markets, suggesting this project aims to combine carbon sequestration with significant co-benefits for water quality and alpine habitat restoration.