Boobera Carbon project

The Boobera Carbon Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in South West Queensland, situated within the Mulga Lands bioregion. The project area of approximately 26,951 hectares lies roughly 70km northwest of Cunnamulla and north of Eulo. The property sits along the Paroo River, a unique ephemeral river system that flows south towards the Darling River. The region is historically dominated by grazing operations for sheep and cattle, which constitutes the primary land use in the area.

Registered in September 2015, the project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) (Human-Induced Regeneration of a Permanent Even-Aged Native Forest-1.1) Methodology. This method involves regenerating native forest on land where vegetation had previously been cleared or suppressed for at least 10 years. To achieve this, the proponent, Tacora Agri Pty Ltd (who took over from Andrew Higgins in 2021), implements activities such as cessation of mechanical clearing, management of grazing timing and extent, and the humane control of feral animals. These actions allow the native seed bank, including rootstock and lignotubers, to regenerate into permanent forest cover.

The environmental conditions of the site are typical of the semi-arid Mulga Lands. The area experiences low and highly variable rainfall, often between 300mm and 500mm annually, supporting vegetation adapted to dry periods. The landscape consists largely of flat to undulating plains featuring red earth and sandy soils. The dominant vegetation includes Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands and various Eucalypt species like Poplar Box, which flourish when grazing pressure is reduced.

An interesting aspect of this project is its contract status; the associated carbon abatement contract (CAC102290), established in November 2015, has been marked as "completed" as of April 2021. This typically indicates the proponent has fulfilled their specific delivery obligations for that contract, though the project itself continues its 25-year crediting period. The project is part of a broader portfolio managed by Tacora Agri, an agribusiness focused on integrating carbon farming with sustainable agriculture.