Osterley Downs Native Forest Protection Project

Osterley Downs Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located on the Osterley Downs pastoral station, approximately 50km south of Cobar in the Nymagee area of central-western New South Wales. It was registered in January 2014 and covers a vast project area of 27,917.37 hectares.

Avoided deforestation projects involve a straightforward commitment by land managers to protect and preserve native forest on a property that previously received government consent to be cleared and converted into cropland or pasture. In this case, the project avoids emissions by protecting native forest from deforestation where a valid clearing permit was issued before 1 July 2010, ensuring the forest is maintained rather than converted to an agricultural system.

The region sits within the Cobar Peneplain bioregion, an area widely known for rangeland grazing, specifically sheep and cattle operations. Osterley Downs itself is a commercially successful grazing property where proponents Robert and Donna Chambers have been breeding Dorper sheep for over a decade. The local environment is characterised by a semi-arid climate with highly variable and unreliable rainfall, averaging around 360-390mm annually. Typical soils in this landscape range from red earths and sandy loams to Vertosols (cracking clays) and red Chromosols.

Interestingly, this project represents a significant milestone in Australia's carbon market, as it was the first-ever Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) native forest protection project approved on leasehold land in Australia. Developed in collaboration with Terra Carbon Pty Ltd (trading as GreenCollar), the property also hosts an Accounting for Nature® "NaturePlus" Environmental Account to formally measure and track the condition of native vegetation for the potential issuance of biodiversity credits. Additionally, proponent Robert "Bob" Chambers is a well-known local grazier who recently chronicled his life story, including his daunting early move from a 680-acre Victorian farm to the massive acreage of Osterley Downs, in a published autobiography titled While The Billy Boils.