The Tiwi Plantations project is a 100% First Nations lead sustainable hardwood plantation estate on Melville Island, Northern Territory. It is the largest Indigenous agricultural venture in northern Australia, creating long-term and stable employment opportunities whilst promoting the inclusion of carbon conscious materials across Australia’s built environment.

The project is based on the land of the Tiwi people and has been running for over 60 years with a potentially unlimited lifespan due to its sustainable approach to rotational cropping. As sections of the forest are cultivated or cropped, others are left to rest, allowing for the rejuvenation of Country and the subsequent protection of future crops. The project currently takes advantage of the fast-growing tropical hardwood, Acacia Mangium, native to northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea and has begun to venture into the production of other native hardwoods, harnessing First Nations expertise for the care and maintenance of the crop.

Sustainable hardwood practices are a vital resource when looking to transition our cities from zones of extreme emissions to carbon sinks. This transformation will maintain the soil quality of rural ecosystems through tiling and other methods to ensure fertile environments for both flora and fauna alike. The tiling methods and soil preservation practices employed at the Tiwi plantation see that sustainable hardwood growth of native australian genuses can last long into the future, capturing carbon as it cares for Country.

This text was the result of online research borrowing from sources such as the Tiwi Plantations website and the 2005 The National Indigenous Forestry Strategy.