Wancobra Regeneration Project

The Wancobra Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Wancobra Station, approximately 160km north-west of Bourke in New South Wales. Registered in September 2015, the project covers a significant area of 21,666 hectares in the remote rangelands near the Queensland border.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects focus on establishing permanent native forests by addressing the activities that previously suppressed vegetation growth. For this project, the primary activity is the management of grazing pressure from livestock and feral animals. By controlling the timing and extent of grazing, the land allows existing in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers, to regenerate into an even-aged native forest.

The region is characterized as a semi-arid pastoral zone, traditionally utilized for extensive sheep and cattle grazing. The environmental conditions typically feature low, variable rainfall and a landscape composed of red earth soils on ridges and grey cracking clays along the floodplains and channels of the Cuttaburra Creek system.

A notable aspect of this project is its proponent, Cuttaburra CSP Pty Ltd, which acts as the trustee for the McGrath Family Trust. The property is owned by former Australian cricket legend Glenn McGrath, who registered the project to supplement farm income during the second auction of the Emissions Reduction Fund. The project is managed in collaboration with carbon service provider Climate Friendly.