Landsdowne Native Forest Protection Project

Landsdowne Native Forest Protection Project is an Avoided Deforestation project located at 'Landsdowne' station near the town of Louth, approximately 90km southwest of Bourke in the Upper Western region of New South Wales. Registered in November 2014, the project covers a substantial area of 12,769.64 hectares. The property is situated in the Mulga Lands bioregion, an area traditionally utilized for extensive grazing operations involving sheep, cattle, and goats.

Avoided Deforestation projects typically involve a landholder voluntarily surrendering the right to clear native forest. To be eligible under the 1.1 methodology, the land must have held a valid clearing permit (often for Invasive Native Scrub) issued before 1 July 2010. By choosing not to exercise this permit and instead managing the forest for carbon storage, the project generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). This activity prevents the emissions that would have occurred had the forest been cleared for agricultural expansion.

The Louth region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with hot summers and variable, low rainfall averaging around 300-350mm annually. The soils in this area are predominantly red earths and sandy loams, which support the native Mulga (Acacia aneura) and bimble box vegetation. The project proponent, Walter Henry Mitchell, is a long-standing local grazier in the Bourke Shire, and the project is managed in partnership with Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the environmental markets developer GreenCollar.