Landari Highland Lakes 2025

Landari Highland Lakes 2025 is a Plantation Forestry project located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, dispersed across properties roughly 20 to 50 kilometers north of the township of Bothwell. Registered in July 2025, the project covers approximately 1,576 hectares in a region historically defined by rugged pastoralism and high-altitude forestry. The project area spans coordinates from near Miena at the Great Lake down to the steppes north of Bothwell, placing it approximately 100 kilometers north-west of Hobart.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022, specifically utilizing the "avoided conversion" activity (Schedule 3). This methodology provides credits to landholders who commit to maintaining an existing plantation forest that would otherwise be cleared and converted to non-forest land use, such as grazing pasture, for financial viability. By continuing the plantation cycle, the project ensures carbon remains sequestered in the timber and soil rather than being released through clearing and burning.

The Central Highlands region is characterized by a cool-temperate, sub-alpine climate with cold winters and variable rainfall that supports both dry sclerophyll forest and commercial timber plantations. The soils in this area are largely derived from Jurassic Dolerite, often fertile but stony, supporting the region's mix of fine wool production and forestry.

The project proponent, Peter Downie, is a prominent sixth-generation Tasmanian grazier based at "Dungrove" near Bothwell. Downie is well-regarded for diversifying traditional agriculture with renewable energy developments, including wind farms (such as Cattle Hill) and carbon projects. The project is managed in conjunction with Arjan Wilkie of Landari, a forestry and spatial analysis firm. Notably, the project expanded its scope shortly after registration, with a variation approved in December 2025 to add further areas to the carbon estimation boundary.