Burns Carbon Project at Ardgour Station

Human-induced Regeneration (HIR) carbon farming project in South West Queensland

Combining carbon farming with conservation to reduce emissions and protect the ecosystem

The Burns Carbon Project establishes permanent native forests through assisted regeneration.
The Project is situated on Corporate Carbon Group’s Ardgour Station, a protected area of over 8,200 hectares in South West Queensland.
Ardgour Station Nature Refuge safeguards crucial wetlands and ecosystems through a holistic management mix of carbon and conservation strategies.

In establishing the Burns Carbon Project at Ardgour Station, Corporate Carbon Group saw an opportunity to set up a carbon project, while also working with the state government to introduce the nature refuge.

The property of Ardgour Station

120km south of Charleville, the Burns Carbon Project at Ardgour Station transforms a former sheep station which required regeneration due to being destocked in 2016 because of drought.

In 2022 Ardgour Station was declared a nature refuge under the Queensland Government’s NatureAssist program, and the property was acquired by Corporate Carbon Group (CCG) the following year. Through the NatureAssist Programme, CCG secured funding to conduct extensive ecological and cultural heritage studies across the land.

Today the property hosts a Human Induced Regeneration (HIR) ACCU-Scheme project, with CCG assisting the growth of permanent native forests from in-situ seed sources.

Together, the carbon project and the nature refuge aim to prevent climate change and regenerate habitat loss, while protecting the ecosystem’s future.

*Nature refuges are a class of private protected area under the state’s Nature Conservation Act and are administered by a legally binding conservation agreement between the landholder and government.*

Co-benefits improving the natural ecosystem

By converting Ardgour Station into a nature refuge and allowing for co-habitational use, the property delivers a variety of benefits including improved ecological conditions and biodiversity. The activities at Ardgour Station aim to:

Enhance wildlife movement with the removal of 45km of internal fencing and the clearing of firebreaks around the property’s perimeter.
Uplift the land by harnessing environmental surveys to assess and map its flora and fauna.
Attain a deeper cultural understanding of the property, by commissioning a cultural heritage survey which in turn, promotes local employment opportunities.