Restoring Murray Woodlands 006 Biodiversity and Carbon Project

Restoring Murray Woodlands 006 Biodiversity and Carbon Project is a permanent environmental planting project located in the rural locality of Savernake, New South Wales. The project site is situated approximately 35 kilometers north of the major twin towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwala on the Victorian border. Registered on September 16, 2024, the project covers a small but strategic area of 5.67 hectares. The region is historically dominated by mixed agricultural land use, including dryland cropping (wheat, canola) and livestock grazing (sheep and cattle), typical of the Southern Riverina.

The project operates under the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology (FullCAM). This method requires the planting of native tree and shrub species endemic to the local area at densities sufficient to establish a forest canopy (typically a minimum of 200 stems per hectare for woodland cover). The plantings must be permanent, with no commercial harvesting permitted. This specific project is part of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust's "Restoring Murray Woodlands" tender, a specialized program designed to combine carbon credits (ACCUs) with biodiversity conservation agreements to restore threatened ecological communities, such as Box Gum Grassy Woodlands.

Environmentally, the Savernake region is characterized by a semi-arid to temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 450mm to 500mm. The landscape typically features red-brown earth soils (Chromosols) and clay loams, which historically supported extensive eucalypt woodlands before agricultural clearing. The "Restoring Murray Woodlands" initiative specifically targets the restoration of habitat for threatened species like the Squirrel Glider and Superb Parrot by reconnecting fragmented remnants of vegetation.

The project proponents, Alexander Ian Sloane and Helen Jean Huggins, are associated with the Sloane family of Savernake Station, a property renowned for its long history of conservation and native bushland preservation. This project likely serves as an infill or corridor extension to existing high-value conservation areas on the property.