Wapweelah Regeneration Project

Wapweelah Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Wapweelah Station, near the small locality of Enngonia, approximately 100km northwest of Bourke in the Far West region of New South Wales. Registered in August 2015, the project covers a substantial area of 24,806 hectares.

The project operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative using the HIR method, which credits landholders for regenerating permanent native forests on land where vegetation was previously suppressed, typically by agricultural activities. Unlike environmental planting, this method relies on assisting in-situ seed sources (such as rootstock and lignotubers) to regenerate naturally. For Wapweelah, this involves managing the timing and extent of grazing and actively controlling feral animals, likely goats and pigs, which are common suppressors of regrowth in this area.

The surrounding region falls within the Mulga Lands bioregion, an area historically utilized for extensive pastoral grazing of sheep, cattle, and goats. The environment is semi-arid with low, variable rainfall. The landscape is characterized by red sandy loam and earth soils, supporting vegetation dominated by Mulga (Acacia aneura), Bimble Box, and various Eremophila species. The project aims to restore this native scrub to forest cover, sequestering carbon while potentially improving soil stability and biodiversity in the rangelands.