Cowangie planting project

Cowangie planting project is an environmental planting project located near Cowangie in the Mallee region of north-west Victoria, approximately 130km south of Mildura and 80km west of Ouyen. It was registered in June 2026 and covers 1036.43ha.

Environmental and Mallee planting projects involve establishing permanent plantings of native trees and shrubs. Under FullCAM methodology, these projects generally require planting at a density of at least 200 stems per hectare, designed to reach a minimum height of two meters and achieve at least 20% forest canopy cover at maturity.

The Cowangie region is classified as semi-arid with low annual rainfall. The environment is characterized by Mallee dune swale systems, featuring light, calcareous, and sandy-loam soils that can be highly susceptible to wind erosion. The area's general land use is dominated by dryland agriculture, primarily sheep grazing and the cropping of cereals like wheat, barley, and legumes.

This project establishes permanent plantings of a mix of native tree and shrub species that directly reflects the structure and composition of the local native vegetation community. The proponent, Land Life Company Australia, is known for utilizing advanced precision technologies such as drone-based terrain analysis, holistic 3D soil modeling, and GPS-enabled automated planting systems to restore degraded agricultural land and maximize carbon sequestration. Historically, much of the Mallee region was systematically cleared of its native roots around the 1920s to make way for agriculture and soldier settlement schemes, making this project a significant effort to return critical native habitat and biodiversity to the local ecosystem.