Barcheka Regeneration Project

Barcheka Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 15km northwest of Wanaaring and around 180km west of Bourke in far western New South Wales. It was registered in August 2015, covers 18,433.44 hectares, and involves proponent Gregory William Standfield, alongside carbon service provider Climate Friendly.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration of a Permanent Even-Aged Native Forest methodology. This approach involves establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources (such as rootstock and lignotubers) on land previously cleared of vegetation where regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years. For this specific project, the primary activity to encourage regeneration is the humane management of feral animals. By controlling feral populations, the project reduces destructive grazing pressure and allows native vegetation to safely reach a healthy forest cover.

The Wanaaring and Bourke region is situated in the remote Australian outback and is predominantly utilised for extensive pastoralism, primarily sheep and cattle grazing. The area experiences a semi-arid to arid climate with low, variable rainfall, averaging roughly 300mm annually. The local environment sits within the Mulga Lands bioregion, with soils typically consisting of red sands, sandy loams, and claypans.

Notably, this project has successfully attracted corporate interest for its environmental benefits. In 2021, the global commercial real estate services firm CBRE purchased and retired carbon offsets directly from the Barcheka Regeneration Project to help offset their corporate carbon footprint. Furthermore, the project secured a carbon abatement contract (CAC102188) with the Clean Energy Regulator in November 2015, which was successfully completed in August 2023. The project's methodology was most recently varied to Compilation No. 3 in December 2022.