Meadow Glen Native Forest Protection Project

Meadow Glen Native Forest Protection Project is an Avoided Deforestation project located approximately 60km west of Cobar in the Cobar Peneplain bioregion of New South Wales. It was registered in September 2014 and covers an area of 20,015.25 hectares.

Avoided Deforestation projects prevent greenhouse gas emissions by protecting native forests from being permanently cleared. To meet standard requirements under this methodology, projects must protect land that had a valid broadscale land-clearing permit issued before 1 July 2010, thereby preventing its conversion to an agricultural system.

The Cobar area is known for vast pastoral properties with a primary focus on sheep, goat, and seasonal cattle grazing. The environment is considered semi-arid with historically unreliable rainfall averaging around 364 mm annually. Soils in this region are primarily red loams, earth, and sand that occasionally transition into higher stony outcrops.

This project avoids emissions by not clearing native forest and actively managing the area to maintain a healthy structure of native woodlands. An interesting geographical note is that the property sits directly adjacent to the Barrier Highway, sharing its name with the nearby "Meadow Glen Rest Area," which is a popular free camping spot for outback travellers. Field surveys on the property reveal dominant tree and shrub species such as White Cypress Pine, Mulga, and Hopbush. The project originally commenced under an older methodology but transitioned to the Avoided Deforestation 1.1 Methodology Determination in May 2015. In June 2016, the project proponent changed from Mathew and Craig Zimmer to Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the major Australian environmental market developer GreenCollar.