Darling River Eco Corridor 5

Darling River Eco Corridor 5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote rangelands of north-western New South Wales, approximately 135km northwest of Bourke and 75km northeast of Wanaaring. Registered in June 2016, the project encompasses a significant area of 24,725 hectares within the Bourke Shire Council region. The surrounding landscape is characterized by extensive pastoral operations, primarily utilized for grazing sheep, cattle, and goats on native vegetation.

This project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which differs from tree planting projects. Instead of sowing seeds, the project focuses on allowing native forests to naturally regenerate from existing in-situ sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers, which were previously suppressed. To achieve this, the project proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, implements specific land management strategies including the control of feral animals (such as goats) and the strategic management of livestock grazing pressure. These activities allow young trees, typically species like Mulga (Acacia aneura) and Bimble Box (Eucalyptus populnea), to reach maturity and achieve permanent forest cover.

The environmental setting is typical of the semi-arid Mulga Lands bioregion, characterized by low and variable rainfall (averaging roughly 280mm annually). The soils in this area are predominantly red earths and sandy loams, with some clay formations found in low-lying catchment areas. The "Eco Corridor" project series, of which this is a part, aims to create contiguous zones of regenerated habitat across the Darling River catchment, providing both carbon sequestration benefits and improved biodiversity corridors for native wildlife.