Boonora Downs Human-Induced Regeneration Project

Boonora Downs Human-Induced Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 50km west of Cobar on the edge of the Cobar Peneplain in New South Wales. Registered on July 10, 2015, the project covers a substantial area of 12,065 hectares. The surrounding region is deeply agricultural, predominantly utilized for grazing sheep, goats, and cattle, alongside mining activities which are central to the local economy.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve the restoration of native forests on land where vegetation has been historically suppressed for at least 10 years. The methodology requires the cessation of mechanical clearing and the active management of grazing pressure, often through internal fencing and trapping, to allow native species to regenerate from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers. The goal is to establish a permanent, even-aged native forest that sequesters carbon over a 25 or 100-year permanence period.

The environment at Boonora Downs is typical of the semi-arid Cobar Peneplain bioregion. The area experiences low and variable rainfall, with a median of approximately 390mm annually. The landscape is characterized by undulating ridges and red earth soils, which support vegetation communities dominated by Mulga (*Acacia aneura*), Bimble Box (*Eucalyptus populnea*), and native pine.

Operating on Boonora Downs station, the project focuses on reversing soil degradation caused by historical overgrazing. By installing fencing to control livestock movement and managing feral animals, particularly goats which are prevalent in the Cobar shire, the project aims to lower grazing pressure sufficiently to allow the natural regeneration of the woodland and shrubland ecosystems.