Geeraning Farm Carbon Project 2025

Geeraning Farm Carbon Project 2025 is a reforestation project located near the landmark Geeraning Rock, approximately 50 kilometers northeast of Mukinbudin and 75 kilometers north of Westonia in the Western Australian Wheatbelt. Registered on July 4, 2025, the project covers a total area of 335.91 hectares within the Shire of Westonia. The region is historically dominated by broadacre agriculture, specifically wheat cropping and sheep grazing, which characterizes the surrounding land use.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings, FullCAM) Methodology Determination 2024. This methodology involves establishing permanent native forests on land that was previously clear of forest cover. Specifically, this project focuses on "Mallee Plantings," which are distinct multi-stemmed eucalypt species adapted to lower rainfall environments. To meet scheme requirements, the plantings must be established at a density sufficient to achieve at least 20% crown cover and a height of 2 meters, ensuring a permanent forest canopy is maintained.

Environmentally, the site lies within a semi-arid zone typical of the northeastern Wheatbelt, receiving low annual rainfall (historically often below 400mm, with the methodology generally targeting areas under 600mm for Mallee plantings). The local terrain typically features sandy loams and yellow sandplains derived from the underlying granitic geology, evidenced by the nearby Geeraning Rock outcrop. These sandy, well-drained soils are well-suited to the deep-rooted Mallee species being established.

An interesting aspect of this project is its proponent, INPEX New Energy Business Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Japanese energy giant INPEX. This suggests the project is likely part of a broader corporate strategy to offset emissions from their energy operations, such as the Ichthys LNG project. The use of Mallee species is particularly strategic for this region, as they are drought-tolerant and can provide co-benefits such as salinity mitigation and wind erosion control in the sandy landscape.