Mayfield Regeneration Project

Mayfield Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 40km southwest of Charleville in South West Queensland. Registered in August 2015, the project covers a substantial area of 19,427 hectares. The surrounding region is situated within the Mulga Lands bioregion, an area historically dominated by pastoral leases used for sheep and cattle grazing.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve regenerating native forest cover on land where vegetation has been suppressed, typically by agricultural activities. For this specific project, the methodology involves the cessation of mechanical clearing and the active management of grazing pressure and feral animals. By controlling these suppressors, the project allows native vegetation, primarily Mulga (Acacia aneura) and associated species, to regenerate from in-situ seed sources and rootstock to achieve permanent forest cover.

The project operates in a semi-arid environment characterized by hot summers and highly variable rainfall, averaging between 300mm and 450mm annually. The landscape features flat to undulating plains with predominantly infertile red earth soils and sandy loams. These soils are naturally resilient but require careful management of total grazing pressure to ensure that young saplings can establish themselves without being browsed by livestock or feral goats.

An interesting aspect of this project is its history of ownership or management transfer. Originally registered with Knight Pastoral as the proponent, the project underwent a variation in December 2017 to transfer the proponent role to S & R McDonald Pty Ltd. This likely indicates a sale of the property or a restructuring of the carbon rights. The project is supported by carbon service provider Climate Friendly.