Barcheka Regeneration Project

Barcheka Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Barcheka Station in far-western New South Wales, approximately 20km northwest of the remote outback village of Wanaaring. Registered in August 2015, the project spans 18,433.44 hectares within the Unincorporated NSW local government area. The surrounding region is predominantly dedicated to remote agricultural grazing operations, particularly for cattle, sheep, and goats.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests on land where vegetation was previously cleared and where regrowth has been suppressed for at least 10 years. Standard methodology requirements dictate that the area must be managed to allow native vegetation to reach forest cover. At Barcheka, this is achieved through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers. A primary project activity is the humane management of feral animals, such as rabbits, cats, and foxes, to remove suppression pressures on native plant growth.

The environment around Wanaaring features a semi-arid climate characterised by extreme summer temperatures and very low average annual rainfall of approximately 276mm. The landscape largely consists of typical outback soil profiles, including deep sandy red earths, as well as heavier clay loams often found in local depressions and floodplains.

The project has demonstrated remarkable co-benefits beyond carbon sequestration. The proponents, Greg and Roseanne Standfield, have managed Barcheka Station for over two decades, and their carbon farming practices, such as altered grazing rotations and feral animal control, have noticeably improved biodiversity and ground cover. Notably, in 2021, an endangered native marsupial known as the Kultarr was sighted on the property carrying babies, indicating a significant positive impact on local habitats. Administratively, the project transitioned to Compilation No. 3 of the HIR methodology in December 2022, and it successfully fulfilled its fixed-delivery Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC102188) in August 2023, delivering a total of 53,000 ACCUs to the Australian Government.