Australian Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Project

Audit Analysis

The Auscarbon Yarra Yarra project is a long-running (since 2008) Gold Standard A/R sequestration project in semi-arid Western Australia with a 20% buffer pool and VVB-verified combined additionality test, but it is undermined by a project-specific baseline, inconsistent leakage treatment across verification reports, a 3.06% shortfall from projected CO₂-e, and a large volume of material findings (34+ CARs/NCRs) from its initial certification period. Transparency is limited by the absence of fnrb, usage-rate, end-use tracking, and storage verification data, and the ERR figures in the record span different reporting periods, preventing a clean pro-rata delivery check.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Leakage deduction of 0% with justification that shifted from 'deemed negligible' (2018 verification report) to 'not addressed' (2021 verification report), indicating weakening of the leakage argument over time
• ⚠3.06% shortfall from projected CO₂-e under Growth Model v2 reported as a material finding, signalling over-crediting relative to the project's own growth model
• ⚠34+ material findings (16 CARs from 2016, 18 NCRs from 2014) plus firebreak-maintenance concerns raised by the local council in a semi-arid climate with 300–350 mm annual rainfall
• ⚠Carbon content of the biomass was not independently tested, and no fnrb method or value is stated in any available document
• ⚠Risk register is at version 0.9 (Road-Test), suggesting it was never finalised to a stable release

Credit Vintages