Kenilworth Regrowth Project

Kenilworth Regrowth Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located approximately 70km southeast of Bourke, spanning the Bourke and Cobar local government areas in inland New South Wales. It was registered in August 2015 and covers an area of 71,545.55 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. This methodology is applied to land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. Standard requirements dictate that proponents must alter land management practices to allow native vegetation to naturally regenerate and attain a healthy forest cover. To achieve this, the Kenilworth Regrowth Project utilises the exclusion of livestock and the humane management of feral animals.

The Bourke and Cobar region is a semi-arid pastoral zone historically known for extensive sheep and cattle grazing, alongside some opportunistic cropping. The area is classified as experiencing low and highly variable rainfall, averaging roughly 350-380mm annually. The soils across this pastoral landscape generally consist of hard red soils, desert loams, and heavy clays.

An interesting note about this project's history relates to early regulatory compliance. In December 2017, the Clean Energy Regulator issued a notice under section 88 of the CFI Act requiring the original participant, Beautiful Gold International Pty Ltd, to relinquish 10,373 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by the project. The project was later transferred, and in January 2020, the participant name was officially changed to Select Carbon Pty Ltd, a major Australian carbon developer. Today, carbon credits generated from the Kenilworth Regrowth Project are utilised across the voluntary market and have been retired to offset emissions by prominent entities, including the large-scale Barangaroo urban renewal precinct in Sydney and private financial firms like AFS & Associates.