Mount Oxley Native Forest Protection Project

Mount Oxley Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located at Mount Oxley, a distinctive sandstone inselberg situated approximately 32km from Bourke in the Far West region of New South Wales. Registered in August 2014, the project covers a substantial area of 15,211.07 hectares.

Avoided deforestation projects protect native forests from being cleared and converted to agricultural systems, specifically on land where a clearing permit was legally issued before July 1, 2010. By retaining this native vegetation, the project successfully avoids greenhouse gas emissions that would have otherwise been released. Under this methodology, carbon stocks are typically determined by applying allometric equations to tree measurements collected through regular biomass surveys within the project area.

The Bourke area is situated within a semi-arid climate zone, experiencing low annual rainfall of approximately 350mm. The surrounding landscape features vast floodplains characterised by red dirt, gravel, and clay soils. The general land use in the region is predominantly pastoral, focusing on sheep and cattle grazing, alongside a growing outback tourism industry. Mount Oxley itself rises 150 metres above these flat western plains.

The project is managed by proponents Marie Newton and Robert Newton, with Select Carbon Pty Ltd acting as the project agent. The project methodology was updated in December 2016 to the Avoided Deforestation 1.1 Determination. An interesting operational milestone for the project was the successful completion of a carbon abatement contract (CAC226989) in May 2022, which saw the fixed delivery of 158,800 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Beyond its carbon value, the project area holds rich cultural history; Mount Oxley is known to Indigenous Australians as "Oombi Oombi", where archaeological evidence indicates the site was traditionally used for quarrying valuable grinding stones.