Richmond Regeneration Project

Richmond Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 25 to 30 kilometres south of Bourke in outback New South Wales. It was registered in September 2015 and covers an area of 3,413.04 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. A standard requirement of this methodology is that the land must have been previously cleared of vegetation and that regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement.

The Bourke region, often affectionately referred to in the Australian idiom "Back O' Bourke," is a semi-arid outback area primarily known for pastoral land uses such as sheep and cattle grazing, alongside some irrigated cotton farming near the Darling River. The environment is characterised by low rainfall, averaging around 355mm annually. Soils in the broader region generally consist of red earths and loams (Chromosols), with deep cracking clays (Vertosols) dominating the river floodplains and pastoral zones.

The Richmond Regeneration Project aims to restore native vegetation cover through specific management activities. These include ceasing any mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth, modifying the timing and extent of livestock grazing, and humanely managing feral animal populations to reduce grazing pressure on new growth. The project was originally registered by John Thatcher but saw a change in proponent to Kassiotis Investments Pty Ltd in December 2022, with Select Carbon Pty Ltd acting as the project agent. Furthermore, the project's method was formally updated in September 2023 to the Compilation No. 3 variation of the HIR methodology. Interestingly, the project has also been evaluated in ecological literature, appearing in a 2024 EcoEvoRxiv study assessing woody cover fraction changes and regulatory compliance across Australian HIR projects.