Greening Australia and Canopy Nature Based Solutions: VIC and SA Restoration Program 2025

Greening Australia and Canopy Nature Based Solutions: VIC and SA Restoration Program 2025 is a multi-site environmental planting project registered in May 2025 that covers a combined area of 1,276.93 hectares. Spanning South Australia and Victoria, the project coordinates point to three distinct operational areas. In South Australia, sites are located near Lock on the Eyre Peninsula (approximately 150 km north of Port Lincoln) and in the Upper South East region near Keith (approximately 225 km southeast of Adelaide). The Victorian site is situated in the South Gippsland region near Inverloch, approximately 140 km southeast of Melbourne.

The project operates under the Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings (FullCAM) Methodology Determination 2024. Environmental planting projects of this kind allow proponents to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by establishing permanent forests of native trees or mallee species. Standard methodology requirements mandate that the planted trees must have the potential to reach at least two meters in height and achieve a minimum 20% crown canopy cover, which generally requires a planting density of over 200 stems per hectare in either block or belt formations.

Because the project covers vastly different geographical areas, environmental conditions vary significantly across the sites. The South Australian regions typically experience a semi-arid to moderate Mediterranean climate. Soils in these areas range from calcareous earth to sandy loams, supporting regional land uses dominated by dryland agriculture, broadacre cropping (such as wheat and barley), and sheep grazing. In contrast, the South Gippsland site in Victoria features a cool-temperate, high-rainfall climate with fertile clay and basalt soils, where the primary land uses are dairy farming and beef cattle grazing.

The proponent, Canopy Nature Based Solutions, is a for-purpose environmental markets business operating as a subsidiary of Greening Australia. A key ecological feature of this program is its focus on establishing permanent plantings of mixed native tree and shrub species that are strictly local to each respective planting area. This careful design ensures that the newly planted species closely mirror the structure and composition of the local native vegetation communities. Beyond capturing carbon, this approach actively enhances local biodiversity, supports native wildlife habitats, and provides supplementary shelter for livestock on agricultural lands.