Hydrocarbon explorer Central Petroleum will plant up to 100,000 hectares of drought-resistant plants in the Northern Territory Centralian desert.
First plantings have already taken place.
An area near Ali Curang, 350km north of Alice Springs, has also been selected for additional plantings, which is scheduled to begin this month with the delivery of 7,000 eucalyptus saplings. This follows a trial programme by the company to plant and raise hybrid eucalyptus trees at Ilpuria, 250 km southwest of Alice Springs.
Central Petroleum says the initiative could provide employment for local communities and establish a fledgling timber industry. It will also provide the company with carbon credits.
"As well as making absolute sense environmentally, we think this is an optimal contribution that we can make for our indigenous neighbours, with whom Central Petroleum has been working very closely on a number of our projects," says Bob Liddle, Central Petroleum's land access manager.
Another plantation has been planned for Tempe Downs.
"Subject to ongoing trials, the take-up rate of the plantings and a comprehensive and economic evaluation of our first mainstream plantations, it is our goal to encompass a 1,000 km sqm area in Central Australia with eucalyptus within a decade," says Doug White, Central Petroleum's area operations manager.
"Because the water table is relatively high at Ali Curang, we believe the trees there should do well. The local community that took over caring for the trial plantins at Illpuria delivered a tremendous outcome and those trees may start providing residents with an additional source of income in as little as seven to eight years."
The Ilpuria community has begun a second plantation, which it is looking to expand to 4,000 trees in the next two to three years.
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