Sunset Ranch Native Forest Protection Project

The Sunset Ranch Native Forest Protection Project is an Avoided Deforestation project located in the locality of Coolabah, approximately 75km northwest of Nyngan in New South Wales. Registered in January 2014, the project encompasses a significant area of 19,588 hectares within the Bogan Shire. The region is characteristically semi-arid, featuring red earth soils and clay loams that support native vegetation such as Bimble Box, Mulga, and native pine. The surrounding land use is predominantly rangeland grazing for sheep and cattle, an industry that relies heavily on the management of native vegetation cover.

Avoided Deforestation projects in Australia work by protecting native forest that would otherwise be cleared for agricultural use. To be eligible under this specific methodology, the landholder must hold a clearing permit issued before 1 July 2010. By voluntarily foregoing the right to clear this land, the project prevents the release of carbon emissions stored in the trees and soil. The Sunset Ranch project operates under the 1.1 version of this methodology, ensuring the maintenance of forest cover over a designated permanence period.

An interesting note about this project is its early participation in the Australian carbon market; it was one of the successful contracts awarded in the very first Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) auction in 2015. The project secured a contract for approximately 463,000 tonnes of abatement, which was successfully marked as completed in June 2022. The proponent, Sunset Ranch Pty Ltd, has also been involved in other carbon activities, including the Runnymede Regeneration Project, highlighting a long-term corporate commitment to carbon farming in Western NSW.