Sunset Ranch Native Forest Protection Project

Sunset Ranch Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located in the Bogan Shire, approximately 70km northwest of Nyngan in New South Wales. Registered in January 2014, the project covers a substantial area of 19,588 hectares. The region is predominantly used for agricultural purposes, particularly grazing for sheep and cattle, as well as some opportunistic cropping.

The project operates under the Avoided Deforestation 1.1 methodology. This specific method prevents the clearing of native forest on land that previously held a government-issued clearing permit (specifically an Invasive Native Scrub Property Vegetation Plan issued between 2005 and 2010). By voluntarily foregoing the right to clear this land for agriculture, the project generates carbon credits based on the emissions that would have occurred if the forest had been removed.

Environmental conditions in this part of the NSW central west are semi-arid. The area typically receives an average annual rainfall of approximately 445mm. The landscape is characterized by flat terrain with soil types dominated by red earths (Kandosols) and heavy cracking clays, which support the native woodland ecosystems protected by this initiative.

An interesting note is that the project successfully completed its carbon abatement contract (CAC335896) with the Clean Energy Regulator in June 2022. Over the course of this contract, the proponent, Sunset Ranch Pty Ltd, delivered over 450,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Commonwealth, marking it as a mature and fully operational project within the scheme.