Rancho Carbon Project

The Rancho Carbon Project is a plantation forestry project located in the locality of Condingup, approximately 45 kilometres east of Esperance in Western Australia. Registered in July 2025, the project covers a substantial area of 2,066 hectares. The region is part of the Esperance Sandplain, a landscape traditionally dominated by broadacre mixed farming, including sheep grazing, cattle backgrounding, and cropping (wheat and canola), as well as significant commercial blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantations established in previous decades.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Plantation Forestry) Methodology Determination 2022, specifically utilising the provisions for transitioning an existing plantation forest to a permanent forest (Schedule 4). This activity involves retaining plantation trees that were originally established for harvest, thereby preventing their conversion to non-forested land (such as pasture or cropland). By maintaining the forest cover permanently, the project generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for the stored carbon that would otherwise have been released through harvesting and clearing.

Environmental conditions in the Condingup area are characterised by a Mediterranean climate with a reliable annual rainfall of approximately 600mm, which is favourable for both agriculture and forestry. The soils are typically sandy duplex types common to the region's coastal plains. The project area appears to be linked to the "Rancho" aggregation of properties (e.g., Rancho East or Rancho X), which were marketed with existing unharvested blue gum stands specifically noted for their potential suitability for carbon credit contracts prior to the project's registration.