Kia Ora Native Forest Protection Project

Kia Ora Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located approximately 70km southwest of Cobar in the semi-arid rangelands of NSW. It was registered in March 2015 and covers 17,867.41 ha.

Avoided deforestation projects involve protecting native forests from being permanently cleared and converted to agricultural systems. A standard requirement for this methodology is that the land must have been issued a valid clearing permit prior to 1 July 2010 to be eligible to generate carbon credits.

The Cobar region is known for pastoral operations and family-run grazing enterprises. The area has a semi-arid climate with low rainfall, and soils are generally red earths and lithosols. The local vegetation is dominated by Callitris, Eucalyptus, Dodonaea, and Eremophila species.

This project was set up to protect ecologically significant native forest that is vulnerable to local extinction. Managed by Terra Carbon Pty Limited under the major carbon developer GreenCollar, the carbon income has funded property infrastructure like waterpoints and fencing to support rotational grazing. It has also assisted in managing invasive native scrub and encouraged the return of native wildlife, including Mulga parrots, bower birds, and kangaroos. Additionally, the project's methodology was updated in May 2015 from the 2013 determination to the Avoided Deforestation 1.1 Determination 2015.