Landari Highland Lakes 2025

Landari Highland Lakes 2025 is a plantation forestry project located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, approximately 9km north of the historic township of Bothwell and 75km northwest of Hobart. It was registered in July 2025 and covers an area of 1,576.63 hectares, following a variation in December 2025 that added new land to the project area.

Plantation forestry projects involve sequestering carbon by establishing and maintaining new or existing plantation forests for the commercial harvesting of wood products. Under this methodology, the Landari Highland Lakes project specifically prevents the conversion of an existing or harvested plantation to non-forested land, instead ensuring it is maintained as a commercial plantation forest.

The Bothwell and Central Highlands region is traditionally known for extensive sheep and cattle grazing, alongside native forestry and, increasingly, renewable energy development. The area sits in the rain shadow of the western mountains, generally experiencing moderate to low (and sometimes semi-arid) rainfall compared to the rest of the state. Local soils are predominantly composed of clay loams and sandy loams derived from dolerite and basalt.

This project is spearheaded by Peter Downie, a sixth-generation farmer whose family has managed the nearby 24,000-hectare Dungrove property for over 150 years. Downie is a pioneer in sustainable land management, having established Australia's first commercial forest to achieve Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, and helping establish the country's first carbon project development company in 2007. Beyond carbon and forestry, the project area and surrounding lands are part of a major integration of land uses, operating alongside livestock grazing and significant renewable energy co-developments, including the proposed Weasel Solar Farm and Cellars Hill Wind Farm.