Boobera Carbon project

Boobera Carbon project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in the Paroo Shire of south-west Queensland, approximately 70km north-west of the town of Cunnamulla. It was registered in September 2015 and covers an area of 26,951.06 hectares. The general land use in this remote regional area is heavily focused on extensive pastoral operations, specifically sheep and cattle grazing on native pastures. The regional environment is classified as semi-arid, characterised by historically low and highly variable rainfall. The soils in this landscape predominantly consist of red earths, sandy loams, and alluvial clays along the region's floodplains.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects aim to regenerate native forests by altering land management practices to allow native vegetation to recover and reach a permanent, even-aged forest structure. Under this methodology, the regenerated trees must have the potential to reach at least 2 metres in height and attain a minimum canopy cover of 20%. To achieve this, the standard requirements for the Boobera project include the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth, the careful management of the timing and extent of livestock grazing, and the humane management of feral animals to protect emerging saplings.

This project establishes permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers, on land that was cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to commencement. Interestingly, the project originally commenced with Andrew Higgins as a participant before transferring to Tacora Agri Pty Ltd in February 2021. The Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated from this project have been sought after by prominent corporate buyers to offset their environmental footprints. For example, the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) project purchased credits from Boobera to offset the 2,905 tonnes of CO2 emissions generated during its hydrogen extraction pilot phase. Furthermore, Frasers Property supported the project by procuring its ACCUs as part of a 'Build Neutral' initiative to offset construction carbon for home buyers at their Minnippi Quarter development.