Coronga Peak Regeneration Project

Coronga Peak Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located near Byrock in the Bourke Local Government Area, approximately 70km southeast of Bourke in outback New South Wales. It was registered in August 2015 and covers an extensive area of 28,748.85 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects establish permanent, even-aged native forests by assisting natural regeneration from in-situ seed sources (such as rootstock and lignotubers) on land that has been previously cleared of vegetation. A standard requirement of the HIR methodology is that regrowth must have been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement. To achieve regeneration, proponents must remove or halt suppressive activities. For this specific project, the core activities involve strictly managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, as well as humanely managing feral animal populations to allow the native vegetation to recover and capture carbon.

The Byrock and Bourke regions are deeply rooted in pastoral agriculture, predominantly focused on sheep, cattle, and increasingly goat grazing, along with some seasonal cultivation. The surrounding environment is situated within a semi-arid climate zone that experiences historical extremes of severe wet and dry periods, and receives summer-dominated rainfall. Soils across the project area and the broader Cobar Peneplain generally consist of red loams, sandy plains, and highly fertile chocolate soils along creek flats that benefit from runoff originating from the 400m high Coronga Peak itself.

The project was initially contracted to the Clean Energy Regulator in November 2015 under contract CAC102316 to deliver carbon abatement. It successfully completed its contract delivery in August 2026. Throughout its lifespan, the project saw administrative updates, including a method variation in August 2023, and a variation in July 2025 to transfer the proponent from Warwick Bramhall to J I HAMPTON.COM PTY LTD. Select Carbon Pty Ltd has also acted as a key participant. Interestingly, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated from this project have been acquired by major resource companies for voluntary and compliance offsetting; for instance, Woodside Energy reported surrendering 1,307 ACCUs from the Coronga Peak Regeneration Project during the 2021-2022 period to offset their Scope 1 and 2 emissions.