Buckwaroon Native Forest Protection Project

Buckwaroon Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located approximately 30km north of Cobar in central-western New South Wales. It was registered in June 2014 and covers an area of 11,826.04 hectares. The Cobar region features a semi-arid climate and is traditionally known for broadacre agricultural land uses, particularly pastoral sheep and cattle grazing, as well as a strong local mining industry.

Avoided deforestation projects involve protecting native forests from being cleared and converted into agricultural systems. Under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Avoided Deforestation 1.1) Methodology Determination 2015, projects are typically only eligible if the land had a valid clearing permit issued before 1 July 2010. By opting not to clear the native forest, proponents earn carbon credits for the greenhouse gas emissions avoided that would have otherwise resulted from vegetation removal, decay, or burning.

The environment across the project area features many box flats and varying terrains, with soils characteristically comprising red sand, loam, and lateritic profiles. The protected vegetation is primarily composed of Mulga with a Eucalypt overstorey, alongside common native Eremophila shrubs. Retaining this vegetation provides essential ecological benefits to the region's semi-arid woodland communities, which are highly vulnerable to local extinction from excessive clearing.

Interestingly, this project originally commenced under the older 2013 methodology determination before a project variation was officially applied in May 2015 to transition to the 1.1 framework. Furthermore, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated from this project have been purchased and retired by major Australian companies, such as Origin Energy, to help offset their corporate natural gas footprint under the Climate Active certification program. The project also shares its namesake with the active local Buckwaroon Landcare Group, which runs community programs educating school students on sustainable land management and natural resource conservation.