Lenroy Regeneration Project

Lenroy Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Unincorporated Far West region of New South Wales, approximately 20km north of the outback town of Wanaaring and 190km northwest of Bourke. It was registered on January 15, 2015, and spans an area of 31,364.93 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve changing agricultural and land management practices to allow native vegetation to regenerate and eventually achieve permanent forest cover (typically a height of at least 2 metres and 20% canopy cover). Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the land must have been historically cleared of vegetation and had natural regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing.

The Far West region around Wanaaring is predominantly characterised by large-scale pastoral grazing of sheep and cattle. The local environment is considered arid to semi-arid, experiencing low and highly variable rainfall. The area's soils typically consist of red earths, sandy loams, and desert clay loams. To assist regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as remnant rootstock and lignotubers, the project's activities focus on the humane management of feral animals and controlling the timing and extent of livestock grazing.

This project secured a Commonwealth carbon abatement contract (CAC192027) in April 2015 to deliver 216,000 ACCUs, a commitment that was successfully completed on May 12, 2022. Following this milestone, the project's methodology was formally updated to Compilation No. 3 in October 2022. Furthermore, carbon credits generated by the Lenroy Regeneration Project have been purchased for voluntary offsets by organisations such as Sam Crawford Architects under the Climate Active program. Revegetation efforts at this site have been noted for delivering significant environmental co-benefits, including reducing regional erosion and salinity risks, and providing crucial native habitat for threatened fauna like the endangered Greater Bilby and the elusive Night Parrot.