Kenilworth Regrowth Project

Kenilworth Regrowth Project (ERF101721) is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 20km northeast of the small town of Byrock and 80km south of Bourke in New South Wales. Registered in August 2015, the project covers a massive area of 71,545 hectares within the Mulga Lands bioregion. The site operates on Kenilworth Station, a property historically used for rangeland grazing, situated on the semi-arid plains of the Cobar Peneplain.

The project operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative (Human-Induced Regeneration of a Permanent Even-Aged Native Forest) methodology. This requires the proponent to implement management changes, specifically the exclusion of livestock and the humane management of feral animals, to stop the suppression of native vegetation. The goal is to allow in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers to regenerate into permanent native forest. Unlike planting projects, HIR relies entirely on natural regeneration facilitated by a reduction in grazing pressure.

Environmentally, the region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with highly variable rainfall, which heavily influences vegetation growth. The soils in this area are typically red massive earths, loams, and sandy lithosols, often supporting Mulga (*Acacia aneura*) and Poplar Box communities. The correlation between rainfall and forest canopy cover in this specific location became a subject of public scrutiny; a 2023 investigation by *The Washington Post* and Australian researchers highlighted Kenilworth as a case study, alleging that tree cover fluctuations on the property tracked rainfall patterns rather than management interventions, a claim Select Carbon has publicly rejected.

The project has a notable compliance and ownership history. Originally developed by Beautiful Gold International Pty Ltd (linked to Malaysian businessman Lee Kim Yew), the project was issued a notice under Section 88 of the *CFI Act* in December 2017, requiring the relinquishment of 10,373 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), a regulatory mechanism often used to correct over-crediting or compliance issues. In January 2020, the project proponent formally changed to Select Carbon Pty Ltd, a major carbon aggregator now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell.