Glenwood Native Forest Protection Project

The Glenwood Native Forest Protection Project is an Avoided Deforestation project located on the "Glenwood" property, approximately 25km southwest of Nymagee and 80km southeast of Cobar in central New South Wales. Registered in July 2014, the project secures a large area of 9,023 hectares within the Cobar Shire. The region is part of the Western Division of NSW, an area historically dominated by extensive grazing of sheep and cattle, as well as opportunistic cropping in favorable seasons.

Avoided Deforestation projects under the 1.1 methodology are designed to prevent the clearing of native forest on land that had a legal clearing permit issued prior to July 1, 2010. By forfeiting the right to clear this land for agriculture (such as cropping or pasture), the project ensures the carbon stored in the trees remains sequestered. This specific methodology is notable for its strict eligibility criteria, requiring evidence that the land would have been cleared in the absence of the project, thus proving the "additionality" of the emissions reductions.

The environment in the Nymagee and Cobar region is classified as semi-arid, typically receiving between 350mm and 400mm of rainfall annually, which can be highly variable. The landscape is characterized by the Cobar Peneplain, featuring rolling downs and ridges with soils that are predominantly red earths (Red Chromosols) and lithosols. These soils support native vegetation communities often consisting of bimble box, white cypress pine, and mulga, which are the forest types protected by this initiative.

An interesting aspect of this project is its longevity and management structure; it is managed with the assistance of Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group, Australia’s largest environmental markets investor. While the Avoided Deforestation methodology was revoked for new entrants in February 2023 due to policy updates, existing projects like Glenwood continue to generate credits, playing a significant role in preserving the biodiversity of the NSW rangelands alongside their carbon abatement benefits.