Landsdowne Native Forest Protection Project

Landsdowne Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located approximately 70km southwest of Bourke in the Bourke local government area of western New South Wales. It was registered in November 2014 and covers an extensive area of 12,769.64 hectares. The broader Bourke region is known predominantly for pastoral grazing enterprises, with sheep and cattle farming making up the majority of the region's land use. The environment is classified as semi-arid with low annual rainfall, and local soils are typically composed of hardsetting red and brown Chromosols alongside Dermosols.

Avoided deforestation projects generate carbon credits by protecting native forest from being cleared and preventing the land from being converted to agricultural systems. A key standard requirement for this specific methodology is that the protected land must have been issued a valid clearing permit prior to 1 July 2010.

The project is managed by proponent Walter Henry Mitchell, working alongside the carbon service provider Terra Carbon Pty Limited. In May 2015, the project was varied to transition to the updated Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Avoided Deforestation 1.1) Methodology Determination 2015 framework. To accurately measure its carbon abatement, the project estimates carbon stock by applying allometric equations to tree measurements collected through regular on-ground biomass surveys conducted across the project area.