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We have a wealth of experience in biodiverse carbon capture restoration projects to share with other landowners.
Eucalypt dieback at our Nardoo Hills Reserves in Central Victoria, prompted our science team to design a project producing long-term guidance on viable, climate ready options. It uses a strategy called ‘climate-adjusted provenancing’ where seedstock is sourced from northern areas, where conditions are similar to those that climate change modelling predicts for central Victoria.
The research trial will run over many decades but already much has been learnt.
When we bought Eurardy Reserve in WA’s midwest, 750 hectares of York gum woodland and 1,550 hectares of kwongan heath on yellow sand had been cleared for cropping and grazing. In 2019 we embarked on the largest restoration project in our history to restore this landscape.
For its size, the project is the first of its kind with such a high level of biodiversity.
“Many carbon projects plant a handful of species, but this one has planted over 60,” says Ecologist Fiamma Riviera.
The first phase of the project began in 2019, planting York Gum seedlings in the red soil, which has been a resounding success. The current focus is restoring a globally significant kwongan heath ecosystem, piece by piece, replicating one of nature’s most diverse ecosystems.
Scottsdale Reserve, just south of Canberra, around 300 hectares had been cleared. As a relatively easy reserve to access, teams of volunteers have been critical to restoration efforts in a project we’ve jointly funded with the Australian Government.
How do we create an environment that favours native plants when the soil has a long history of fertiliser, grazing and cultivation? African Lovegrass is a major headache. One successful strategy we’ve used has been removing the top 10cm of nutrient-enriched topsoil. We then direct seed with a mix of native trees and shrubs.
Native species have returned to what were once bare paddocks on Monjebup North Reserve in south-west, WA. We've also successfully restored native bushland on nearby Chereninup Creek, Beringa and Red Moort reserves, giving us a track record for successful ecological restoration in the area and a good foundation for providing services to support others doing similar work in the region. Currently our focus is a project on Ediegarrup Reserve.
