Bulgoo Station Native Forest Protection Project

Bulgoo Station Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located at Bulgoo Station, off Lerida Road, approximately 60km south of Cobar in New South Wales. It was registered on 11 February 2014 and covers an expansive 20,705.27 hectares.

Avoided deforestation projects involve protecting native forest from being deforested and subsequently converted to an agricultural system. A standard requirement of this methodology is that a valid clearing permit for the land must have been issued prior to 1 July 2010. By preventing the planned clearing of these native forests, the project avoids the greenhouse gas emissions that would have occurred, and carbon stock is instead measured through allometric equations applied to regular biomass surveys.

The Cobar Peneplain bioregion is semi-arid with relatively low rainfall, and typically features red earth and sandy loam soils. The specific landscape at Bulgoo consists of flat country ringed by a mountainous range. The area is dominated by open woodland species including White Cypress Pine, Poplar Box (Bimble Box), Mallee species, and Mulga scrub. Historically, the region and the property itself have been used for sheep grazing and breeding. Since 2022, following a change in ownership, the property's primary land use has transitioned to a dairy goat enterprise managed by Bulgoo Pastoral.

The project was originally managed by George and Beverly Yench, who were highly successful in securing early contracts to forward-sell large volumes of carbon credits to corporate buyers like BP Asia and later to the Australian Government. On 13 July 2022, the participant name was formally varied to Bulgoo Pastoral Pty Ltd as the Trustee for Bulgoo Pastoral Unit Trust. Additionally, the project's methodology was updated in May 2015 from the 2013 determination to the 1.1 (2015) determination. Beyond carbon sequestration, the project is now part of the Bulgoo NaturePlus™ Native Vegetation Restoration Account, quantifying improvements in environmental condition for the issuance of biodiversity credits. The project's success was also highlighted in a 2021 video case study by the Clean Energy Regulator, showcasing the environmental and economic benefits of the Emissions Reduction Fund to local graziers.