Moombidary Forest Regeneration Project

Moombidary Forest Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Moombidary Station, approximately 55km west of Hungerford in South West Queensland's Bulloo Shire, near the New South Wales border. It was registered in August 2015 and covers an extensive area of 153,207.35 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent native forests by changing land management practices to allow assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers. Under the HIR methodology, this typically applies to land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to project commencement. The objective is to manage the land so that the native vegetation can reach a state of permanent forest cover.

The Hungerford and broader Bulloo Shire region is characterised by a semi-arid outback environment. The area is known for its strong pastoral history, primarily focusing on large-scale sheep and cattle grazing operations. Soils in the region typically consist of red soils, sands, and clay loams (such as Kandosols and Vertosols) with generally poor water retention. To successfully assist native forest regeneration in these conditions, the project activities include ceasing any mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing.

This project is notable for its strong social and cultural outcomes. The property owner, a fifth-generation farmer, has collaborated with Climate Friendly and the Traditional Custodians, the Kullilli Bulloo River and Budjiti Aboriginal Corporations. This partnership provides local employment opportunities for Traditional Owners to assist in annual fieldwork and monitoring, allows them to regain access to traditional country, and has facilitated the surveying of cultural sites as well as the establishment of a bush tucker garden. Furthermore, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated from Moombidary have been purchased by Australian businesses, such as Greenbox and Kerleys Coastal Real Estate, seeking to offset their emissions under the Climate Active standard.