Longdowns Regeneration Project

Longdowns Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 40km southeast of Bourke in the semi-arid Northwest region of NSW. It was registered in July 2015 and originally covered 30,025.68 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests by ceasing activities that suppress natural regrowth. Under standard methodology requirements, the land must have been cleared of vegetation and regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years before the project begins. Standard methodology expects the regenerating forest to reach a minimum of 2 meters in height and achieve at least 20% canopy cover. Project activities at Longdowns include excluding livestock, managing the timing and extent of grazing, ceasing mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth, and humanely managing feral animals. This allows native vegetation to recover from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers.

The Northwest NSW region is widely known for large-scale cattle and sheep grazing on pastoral rangelands. The area is considered semi-arid with low rainfall, and soils are generally red sandy earths and expansive clay plains.

This project aims to increase regional biodiversity, improve soil retention, and provide natural shelter for livestock. It has undergone several variations since inception, including reductions to the project area in 2015 and 2017. The project proponent was originally Corporate Carbon Solutions Pty Ltd, though Paniri Ventures Pty Ltd was also included as a co-proponent between 2016 and 2020. In December 2022, the project was divided under section 77A of the CFI Act. Longdowns is notably featured as a flagship land-based offset project supporting the NSW Government's Vehicle Emissions Offset Scheme (VEOS), generating both carbon abatement and diversified revenue for local farmers. Large organizations such as Dexus have also publicly retired carbon offsets generated from this project.