Ruatapu Forest Carbon Project

Sustainable Development Goal 15 icon on green background with "Life on Land" text, tree, and birds symbol.
SDG 13 Climate Action icon featuring an eye with a globe inside on a green background.
Icon for Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals, depicting clean water and sanitation, with a stylized water droplet and glass graphic on a blue background.
Tall trees with green leaves against a clear blue sky.
Seedlings with red stems and green leaves growing from soil, with a white background panel behind them.
Young sapling with fresh green leaves on dry, grassy terrain under sunlight.
Young green plant with fresh leaves growing in a grassy field.
Man in outdoor attire smiling next to a small tree in a field with mountains in the background.
Two people standing in a grassy field with snow-capped mountains in the background, having a conversation. One person is wearing a helmet and green coat, and the other is wearing a tan jacket and beanie.

The Forest

The Ruatapu site is located off the statehighway on Falls Creek Road, in the West Coast of the South Island. The majority of the project site is historic glacial terminal moraine, and the site area is 286.7 ha. Multiple planting operations are being undertaken at the Ruatapu site with a mix of both natives and exotic areas, where any exotic area will be transitioned into native forest using continuous cover forestry.

The site consists of the following forest, alder planting (105.6 ha), native planting (21.7 ha), native regeneration (51.1 ha), native seeding with ~30 million native seeds (73.4 ha) and a small area of existing redwoods (4 ha).

The People

The landowner is Meridian Energy and its Forever Forest Programme.

Blue stylized sunburst logo and the word 'Meridian' on a white background.
Dense forest with tall, thin trees and green foliage
Satellite view of the South Island of New Zealand with a marked project location

The Ruatapu Project is located on Falls Creek Road, Ruatapu, West Coast.

The Location

Satellite view marking a project location on the West Coast of New Zealand. Features include mountainous terrain, forests, and the Tasman Sea coastline. A yellow dot highlights the location.

Technical Stuff

The Ruatapu Forest Carbon Project is being undertaken under the Permanent Forest Category of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme. The project issues New Zealand Units (NZUs) based on New Zealand Government rules for carbon sequestration rates by indigenous forest.

Ruatapu Forest Carbon Project

Project Name

286.7 ha

Project Area

Meridian Energy

Project Owner

Meridian Energy + Ekos

Project Developer

West Coast, New Zealand

Project Location

Continuation of pastorlaism (sheep/beef grazing)

Baseline Scenario

Permanent forest protection

Project Scenario

Afforestation/reforestation (A/R): Enhanced natural regeneration

Activity Type

Carbon sequestration; biodiversity conservation; water quality protection; climate resilience

Project Benefits

822,744

Trees Planted

New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme - Permanent Forest Category

Carbon Credit Standard

Ministry for Primary Industries

Verifier

New Zealand Emissions Trading Register

Carbon Credit Registry

Project Purpose

Meridian Energy Limited are planting trees throughout Aotearoa to reduce their carbon impact. The plan is to have 1.5 million seedlings in the ground over the next 5 years so that they are able to offset their operational emissions by half by 2030.

Learn more here!