Devon Station Regeneration Project (Revoked)

The Devon Station Regeneration Project (Revoked) was a carbon abatement initiative located in the Far West region of New South Wales. Based on the project coordinates, the area is situated approximately 70 kilometers west of Wilcannia and 115 kilometers east of Broken Hill. The project was registered in September 2015 and covered a substantial area of 32,298 hectares. However, it was revoked less than a year later, in July 2016, under Section 33 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, which typically indicates a voluntary revocation by the proponent before any carbon credits were issued.

The project operated under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. This method is designed to regenerate native forests on land where vegetation has been suppressed for at least a decade, usually by agricultural activities. Instead of planting trees, the project focuses on land management changes, specifically, the cessation of mechanical clearing and the management of grazing pressure, to allow in-situ seed sources and rootstock to regenerate into permanent native forest. For a project of this type to succeed, the regenerating forest must eventually achieve a canopy cover of 20% at a height of 2 meters.

The region surrounding Devon Station is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 265mm. The landscape is dominated by grazing properties, primarily for Merino sheep, as evidenced by local livestock listings for the station. The terrain typically consists of red earth and sandy loam soils, supporting vegetation such as Mulga (Acacia aneura), saltbush, and other native shrubs adaptable to the harsh, dry conditions.