Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor
A reforestation project by Carbon Neutral. The largest reforestation project in Australia stretching across the northern wheatbelt of Southwest Australia, restoring a landscape and preserving precious biodiversity. The first project in Australia to achieve premium Gold Standard certification.
The area along the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor was once vibrant with expansive woodlands of York gum and Salmon gum trees, but from the early 1900s europeans have cleared more than 97% of the vegetation so they could farm. Now, parts of the landscape are not suitable for traditional agriculture due to problem soils that are increasingly uneconomic to farm in a drying climate. The Plant-A-Tree Program is part of a plan to eventually link small patches of remaining vegetation and 12 nature reserves to create a green corridor. Revegetation work supports local businesses and employs local people, including workers from Aboriginal communities. Activities such as sandalwood production and beekeeping are being developed to complement the planting and there are plans for bush tucker and eco-cultural tourism industries.
Woodlands and forests play a crucial role in cleaning and cooling the air. Their many gifts to humanity include acting as natural water pumps to reduce dryland soil salinity. These green pockets reduce erosion from wind and water, recycle nutrients for agriculture and support habitats for wildlife.
Our Plant-a-Tree Program aims to restore landscapes and reproduce natural ecosystems as best we can. So far, the team at Carbon Neutral have planted 440,000 trees, restoring more than 300ha of cleared land.
Impact and co-benefits
The primary objective of the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor project is to sequester and store carbon for 100 years.
Over the project’s life its expected that more than that 1 million tonnes of CO2-e will be sequestered by the trees already in the ground. This figure will increase as more areas continue to be restored.
Positive social, environmental and economic change
Co-benefits of the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor Project contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These benefits to the community include environmental, social, economic and heritage outcomes – comprising co-benefits of:
Biodiversity
Regional Economic Impact
Soil Quality
Water Quality
Indigenous Cultural Heritage
Restoration
More than 90% of the current planting area was cleared during the 1900s to allow for the farming of crops and livestock.
We work with landowners to restore the land in the Corridor that is no longer suitable for traditional agriculture.
Improving the non-arable land in the region has a positive effect through reducing salinity and erosion.
LILAS has partnered with CARBON NEUTRAL to support these initiatives. We are committed to offsetting our carbon footprint, restoring biodiversity in Australia and the Earth, and true sustainability with every purchase.
To make your own personal contribution or to learn more; visit www.carbonneutral.com.au
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