diff --git a/src/core/qgsapplication.cpp b/src/core/qgsapplication.cpp
index c45294aec2f..9bb30759c61 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsapplication.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsapplication.cpp
@@ -307,12 +307,16 @@ void QgsApplication::init( QString profileFolder )
   // append local user-writable folder as a proj search path
   QStringList currentProjSearchPaths = QgsProjUtils::searchPaths();
   currentProjSearchPaths.append( qgisSettingsDirPath() + QStringLiteral( "proj" ) );
-  const char **newPaths = new const char *[currentProjSearchPaths.length()];
+  char **newPaths = new char *[currentProjSearchPaths.length()];
   for ( int i = 0; i < currentProjSearchPaths.count(); ++i )
   {
-    newPaths[i] = currentProjSearchPaths.at( i ).toUtf8().constData();
+    newPaths[i] = CPLStrdup( currentProjSearchPaths.at( i ).toUtf8().constData() );
   }
   proj_context_set_search_paths( nullptr, currentProjSearchPaths.count(), newPaths );
+  for ( int i = 0; i < currentProjSearchPaths.count(); ++i )
+  {
+    CPLFree( newPaths[i] );
+  }
   delete [] newPaths;
 #endif