Mount Alfred Regeneration Project

Mount Alfred Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 68km northwest of Wyandra and 100km west of Cunnamulla, situated on the west side of the Paroo River in South West Queensland. Registered in August 2015, the project covers a substantial area of 37,522.47 hectares. The surrounding Mulga Lands region is primarily used for pastoral activities, specifically cattle and sheep grazing. This area typically experiences a semi-arid rainfall classification, and the soils are largely composed of characteristic red earths, sandy loams, and clay plains.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve changing land management practices to allow native forests to regenerate on land where vegetation was previously cleared and regrowth suppressed for at least ten years. The standard requirements for this methodology stipulate that the regenerated native vegetation must have the potential to reach a forest cover standard, defined as attaining a height of at least two metres and a canopy cover of 20% or more.

To achieve this, the Mount Alfred project's activities include the cessation of mechanical and chemical destruction of regrowth, the humane management of feral animals, and the strict management of grazing timing and extent. According to project documentation, sheep grazing was completely halted, while cattle grazing was stopped at the start of the project with an option to maintain livestock below a safe grazing pressure later on, depending on the forest's regeneration level. The native forest regenerates naturally from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers.

Interestingly, the project proponent has undergone a few variations, initially involving Philip and Jennifer Christmas before transitioning to Paniri Ventures Pty Ltd and Paniri Holdings Pty Ltd between 2016 and 2020. Furthermore, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by this project are highly sought after in the voluntary market; corporate buyers such as investment firm Perennial Partners, beverage company Lion, and People First Bank have all purchased and retired credits from Mount Alfred to offset their operational emissions and achieve their respective Climate Active Carbon Neutral certifications.