Tripodi Native Forest Protection Project

Tripodi Native Forest Protection Project is an Avoided Deforestation project located approximately 60km south of Bourke in the semi-arid region of western New South Wales. It was registered in June 2014 and covers an extensive 12,374.78 hectares.

Avoided Deforestation projects generate carbon credits by protecting native forests from being legally cleared and converted to agricultural systems. A standard requirement for this methodology is that the landholder must hold a valid clearing permit issued before 1 July 2010, and must actively choose to retain the native forest rather than clear it. In May 2015, this specific project varied its method from the 2013 determination to the updated Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative - Avoided Deforestation 1.1) Methodology Determination 2015.

The broader Bourke local government area is typically characterized by a semi-arid climate with low and highly variable rainfall. Regional land use is heavily dominated by pastoral operations, primarily sheep and cattle grazing on native vegetation, which is supported by typical regional soils such as red earths, sandy loams, and clays.

Interestingly, this project has been highly productive. Working alongside carbon service provider Terra Carbon Pty Limited, the project secured a Fixed Delivery Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC535090) with the Clean Energy Regulator. Under this long-term agreement, the project originally committed 953,345 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and has already successfully delivered over 836,000 units to the Commonwealth, representing a massive contribution to national emissions avoidance.