Trafalgar Native Forest Protection Project

Trafalgar Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located on the "Trafalgar" property, approximately 20km south of Bourke in NSW. It was registered in March 2015 and covers an area of 18,169.06 hectares.

Avoided deforestation projects prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions by protecting native forests that were legally approved for clearing before 1 July 2010. Standard requirements for these projects involve permanently ceasing the planned deforestation, preventing the conversion of the land into agricultural systems (such as grazing or cropping land), and determining carbon stocks using allometric equations applied to tree measurements collected through regular biomass surveys.

The Bourke region is primarily known for cattle and sheep grazing, alongside some seasonal and irrigated cropping operations. The area has a semi-arid climate characterized by a low and variable annual rainfall of around 331.5mm. Soils in the region are typically red and brown chromosols, dermosols, and heavy cracking clays suited to rangeland vegetation.

This project allows the landowner to diversify their income, which has provided the financial freedom to significantly reduce livestock stocking rates and hand-feed during dry spells. This reduced grazing pressure has helped the native vegetation recover, improved soil groundcover, and funded important station infrastructure upgrades such as regional firebreaks. The project's proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, operates as part of the GreenCollar Group, one of Australia's largest environmental market developers. Additionally, in May 2015, the project methodology was officially varied from the original 2013 determination to the 2015 methodology version.