Mopone Native Forest Protection Project

Mopone Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located approximately 15km northwest of Cobar in Outback New South Wales. It was registered in May 2014 and covers 5087.60ha.

Avoided deforestation projects involve protecting native forests from being deforested and the land from being converted to an agricultural system, specifically in cases where a clearing permit had been issued prior to 1 July 2010. By preventing this clearing, the project avoids the greenhouse gas emissions that would have resulted from the loss of the forest.

The Cobar region is known for extensive sheep and cattle grazing, as well as significant historical and active mining operations for copper and gold. The area is considered semi-arid with low annual rainfall (averaging around 350mm) and soils are generally red earths and sandy loams.

The project proponent, Robert Malcolm Neate, works alongside Terra Carbon Pty Limited, an environmental advisory firm that assists land managers in generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) while maintaining their agricultural enterprises. In May 2015, the project was varied to transition from the 2013 avoided deforestation methodology to the updated Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Avoided Deforestation 1.1) Methodology Determination 2015.