Richmond Regeneration Project

Richmond Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 25 kilometres south of Bourke in western 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. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the project must achieve a native forest cover, legally defined under the scheme as reaching at least 20% crown cover and a height of 2 metres. Crucially, the project activities must occur on land that was historically cleared of native vegetation and where regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years before the project commenced.

The Bourke region is characterised by a semi-arid climate featuring hot temperatures and low, highly variable annual rainfall averaging around 300 mm. The surrounding land is predominantly used for sheep and cattle grazing across vast, flat plains. Soils in this environment typically consist of red sandy loams, red earths, and heavy cracking clays closer to the Darling River systems. To facilitate the regeneration of native vegetation in this landscape, the project relies on the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth, the careful management of the timing and extent of livestock grazing, and the humane management of feral animals.

In December 2022, a participant variation was recorded, changing the proponent from John Thatcher to Kassiotis Investments Pty Ltd, with Select Carbon Pty Ltd also acting as a participant. Furthermore, in September 2023, the project was updated from Compilation No. 1 to Compilation No. 3 of the 2013 Methodology Determination. Due to its size and early registration date, the project was notably included in a 2017 Australian Senate Standing Committee report on sequestration projects and was referenced in a recent EcoEvoRxiv academic study analyzing woody cover fraction (WCF) and regulatory compliance across the Australian HIR scheme.