Waverley Downs Regeneration Project

Waverley Downs Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Waverley Downs station, approximately 55km west of the border town of Hungerford and 285km north-west of the major regional town of Bourke in New South Wales. It was registered in August 2015 and covers 51,255.30 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent even-aged native forests by altering land management practices. This methodology requires that the land was previously cleared of vegetation and had regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. The forest is established through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources such as rootstock and lignotubers. At Waverley Downs, this is achieved by ceasing the mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing.

The remote region west of Hungerford is heavily utilised for broadacre agriculture, specifically extensive sheep and cattle grazing on large pastoral holdings. The area is defined by a hot semi-arid climate with low, variable rainfall and very hot summers. The local environment and topography generally consist of flat landscapes, red earths, sandy loams, and clay pans characteristic of the Channel Country fringes.

The project is supported by carbon service provider Climate Friendly Pty Ltd and holds an active Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC102223) that originally committed over 212,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Commonwealth. In July 2023, the project updated its methodology to Compilation No. 3. Notably, ACCUs generated by Waverley Downs have been purchased and voluntarily retired by corporate buyers, such as People First Bank, to meet their Climate Active carbon neutral certification goals.