We take the Science Based Targets Initiative very seriously here at BrewHub. Over the years, we’ve worked hard to reduce our scope one and two emissions. But when we made the move to roasting coffee beans in-house, there was no escaping a sudden leap in our emissions. We needed a new plan to offset our rise in gas use, we needed a trusted team to join forces with and we needed a local project we could track the progress of through regular visits.
Enter Carbon Neutral’s Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor, a gold-certified native reforestation project committed to restoring 100,000 hectares of native bushland in Australia. When it comes to deliverables, this project stands tall. It not only guarantees to remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere whilst restoring a threatened ecosystem, but also delivers real, measurable impacts on people and communities.
In September, we made our first visit to Perenjori, around 3.5 hours north-east of Perth, to see part of the 200km stretch of biodiverse habitat Carbon Neutral is creating on degraded agricultural land using BrewHub’s offset credits. Standing in the golden morning light on a chilly morning, in a region that is considered a global biodiversity hotspot, drove home just how vital this project is. The woodland here has suffered greatly over the past century with land repeatedly cleared for agriculture, but Carbon Neutral has been busy restoring it and the effects are already profound. As we listened to the sounds of a habitat chirping and trilling as the sun came up, we felt a surge of hope for what’s still to come.
Here are some of our takeaways from our visit to Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor.
Carbon Neutral isn’t just planting trees, it’s creating a habitat.
The Yarra Yarra project is restoring York gum woodland by planting more than 60 different native species of trees and shrubs in the area. This will create a thriving home and food supply for a huge array of wildlife, including endangered species like Malleefowl and the Western Spiny-tailed Skink. Carbon Neutral isn’t just planting trees in rows here, it’s planting trees, a middle storey and shrubs and bushes, carefully avoiding monoculture and creating a real habitat using seeds collected in the area that are grown to seedlings before being planted. Tens of thousands of species have come into the area so far as a result (incredibly, over 100 species of ants have been recorded here so far!).
The results are already incredible.
We were excited to learn the site has already recorded soaring recovery rates of plant and animal communities. Ecologists are not only seeing more species come into the area, they’re also discovering fauna that hasn’t been seen there before. Woolley’s False Antechinus, a rat-like, carnivorous marsupial whose scientific name is Pseudantechinus woolleyae, was spotted on night cameras set up by volunteer ecologists as part of a Citizen Science program. Only recognised in 1988, the Woolley’s False Antechinus is so rarely sighted it has yet to be given a common name or conservation status, and this discovery is believed to be the first record of the marsupial in the entire wheatbelt region. Carbon Neutral has also confirmed the presence of the threatened species, Mallee Fowl (scientific name Leipoa ocellata), in the area. This incredible bird is a significant finding as it adds another layer of ecological importance to this region.
The project is also mitigating bushfire risk.
In another show of impressive strategic planning, the Yarra Yarra corridor has been designed to lower the risk, and potential damage, of bushfires in the area. The native species planted are adapted to fire and will self-generate if in the event of a blaze, meaning the area will continue to sustain in the long-term. The project also uses fire breaks and light sheep grazing to help mitigate the risk of fire – the sheep do their bit by reducing the understory weeds, lowering the fire risk associated with the summer fuel load.
It’s about understanding the soil, too.
What’s interesting about reforesting the corridor is it’s not as simple as restoring it to its former glory. This is because the soil quality has changed after years of farming – there’s essentially a lot more nutrition in the soil from farming run-off than there used to be. Citizen scientists have been invaluable in conducting studies on the soil and figuring out what can best thrive in the soil that exists in the corridor today. Salinity in the ground and surface waters is also high in the area and the project aims to lower this over time.
The project consulted with First Nations communities to protect cultural heritage sites in the region.
The Yarra Yarra Corridor is situated on the traditional lands of the Noongar, Yamatji, and Widi Mob people. With many areas of cultural significance, it was vital to us that we knew Native Title holders were consulted with from day one. We’re pleased to report that all cultural heritage sites have been identified and protected and Carbon Neutral continues to work with First Nations people for ongoing site management and advice. Over 50 First Nations people have been employed to work on the project.
Yarra Yarra supports our regional communities as well.
As well as sequestering a projected 1.059M tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 50 years and creating a new biodiversity hotspot, Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor is also injecting support into our regional communities. The project has created over 400 jobs for local communities and engages the services of more than 80 local businesses.
The land the corridor is built on has an interesting history.
The land we visited was once private property belonging to a local farmer named Norm. Norm lived a somewhat hermit life on the block adjacent to a Carbon Neutral property. He often assisted the Carbon Neutral team with fencing and creating fire breaks and saw firsthand how restoring the native vegetation was bringing back the wildlife to the area. Sadly, Norm became terminally ill in 2022 and his dying wish was that the land be sold to Carbon Neutral to continue and expand the work started, restoring the land for the benefit of the endemic flora and fauna. What a legacy!
Not all off-setting is created equal.
While we understand that off-setting is not the solution to emissions in its entirety, until technology drastically changes, it has to be part of the solution. As businesses, we all have a moral obligation to understand and take responsibility for our emissions and to do the most we can possibly do to reduce them. However, it’s important to remember that not all off-set projects are created equal. We chose Carbon Neutral as a partner in this as they offer the only gold standard certified project in Australia. We know the people driving the project, we witness their passion, and we can drive to the site to see the progress it is making at any time.
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