Curragh Regeneration Project

Curragh Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 75km northwest of Bourke in the far west region of New South Wales. It was registered in July 2015 and covers an extensive area of 20,586.83 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. The methodology requires landholders to cease activities that have historically suppressed tree growth, enabling the land to naturally achieve a native forest cover.

The Bourke region is a semi-arid landscape traditionally known for sheep and cattle grazing operations. The area experiences a hot, dry climate with low average annual rainfall, typically falling below 400mm. Soils in this region are heavily varied but commonly feature red earths, alluvial clays along the floodplains, and some sandy loams, which can often be prone to hardpans and subsurface compaction.

To facilitate forest regeneration on the property, the project's core activities focus on stopping the mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing. This project was specifically implemented on land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing.

The project proponents are Charles Peter Bailey and Karen Christina Bailey, supported by their project agent, Select Carbon Pty Ltd. An interesting administrative note regarding the project is that the participant structure previously included Anthony Bailey, but a variation was formally made in December 2021 to update the participants to just Karen and Charles Bailey. Additionally, the project secured an active carbon abatement contract with the Clean Energy Regulator (Contract CAC102204) following the November 2015 auction, initially committing to deliver 343,018 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Commonwealth over a delivery period of roughly 12 years.