Purga Creek, QLD

Greenfleet planted more than 90,000 native trees to transform 64.5 hectares of the land into a flora and flora sanctuary in 2007.

Today, the once barren site is home to a healthy forest which forms part of the Purga Nature Reserve. More than 100 wildlife species, including endangered koalas, are found in the new forest which counterbalances loss of habitat elsewhere as the region’s population grows.

Now, our forest in the Purga Nature Reserve has become Greenfleet's first “carbon abatement interest” registered on title in Queensland. This allows Greenfleet access to the economic benefits that can be gained from the carbon captured by the forest – and presents a new model for councils wanting to invest in parks and biodiversity projects by tapping money from the private sector via a not-for-profit organisation. The Purga Creek project delivers the added benefit of taking practical steps to tackle climate change.

Greenfleet’s CEO Wayne Wescott says Ipswich City Council has been leading the way in sustainability for a number of years, and other councils around the country are taking note. “South East Queensland will add another 1.4 million residents in the next 15 years. As a national conversation emerges about how we fund the infrastructure needed to accommodate this growth, we must also be thinking about how to fund green infrastructure to tackle the inevitable growth in carbon intensity,” Wayne says.

“Ipswich City Council has found a smart way to invest in trees to tackle climate change, while delivering the amenity the community needs and deserves in the long term,” Wayne concludes.