Runnymede Regeneration Project

Runnymede Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in the Bogan Shire area, approximately 85km north-west of Nyngan in New South Wales. It was registered in July 2014 and covers an area of 8,305.75 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects aim to establish permanent native forests on land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth has been actively suppressed for at least 10 years. The standard requirements for this methodology involve changing land management practices to allow for natural regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. For this specific project, activities include the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth, and the active management of the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow the native forest to recover.

The surrounding Bogan Shire region is heavily driven by agricultural production, primarily livestock grazing (including sheep and cattle) and large-scale cropping. The environment in this region is typically classified as semi-arid, experiencing hot summers and moderate to low rainfall, with soils commonly consisting of red-brown earths, sandy loams, and clays typical of the Bogan River floodplains and the broader Mulga lands bioregion.

Interestingly, this project has undergone several significant variations since its inception. It was originally registered under the Avoided Deforestation methodology as the "Runnymede Native Forest Protection Project" before transitioning to the HIR method and its current name in March 2015. The proponent has also changed multiple times, shifting from Dominic Hollis to Gregory Hollis and Veronica Milligan in 2022, and eventually to Sunset Ranch Pty Ltd in June 2025. Select Carbon Pty Ltd is currently listed as the project's agent. Furthermore, the project successfully completed its government contract (CAC137406) in November 2023. As a notable addition, the project's spatial data was recently scrutinized in a 2024 academic study analyzing the sizing of comparison areas and vegetation recovery in Australian HIR carbon sequestration projects.