Bundong Native Forest Protection Project

Bundong Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located at Bundong Station near Coolabah, approximately 85km northwest of Nyngan in the Central West region of New South Wales. It was registered in July 2014 and covers 8191.54 ha.

Avoided deforestation projects involve protecting native forests from being deforested and converted to an agricultural system. A standard requirement of the Avoided Deforestation 1.1 methodology is that a valid clearing permit was issued for the land prior to 1 July 2010, which this project holds to prove the land was at genuine risk of clearing.

The Coolabah and broader Central West region is located in the Cobar Peneplain, an area characterised by a semi-arid climate with low and variable rainfall. The soils generally consist of red earths, alluvial sandy loams, and brown granite rises. Regional land use is predominantly agricultural, focusing heavily on pastoral sheep and cattle grazing, alongside some opportunistic cropping and hay production.

The project proponents, Noel and Lynette Dunn, have operated Bundong Station and bred high-quality merino sheep for over 30 years. In addition to protecting the native forest through this carbon project, they have actively implemented sustainable land management techniques, such as waterspreading. This practice slows rainwater flow to improve soil infiltration, reduce erosion, and build native pastures for their livestock. The project's methodology originally commenced under the 2013 determination before being updated in May 2015 to the Avoided Deforestation 1.1 Determination.