Darling River Eco Corridor 7

Darling River Eco Corridor 7 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Mulga Lands bioregion, approximately 60km southwest of Cobar in western New South Wales. It was registered in April 2016 and covers an expansive 31,239.35 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve regenerating native forests by changing land management practices to suppress activities that previously hindered tree growth. Standard requirements dictate that the project must achieve a native forest cover of at least 20% canopy cover, with trees capable of reaching 2 metres in height at maturity.

The Cobar region is well known for pastoralism, predominantly sheep and cattle grazing, as well as significant copper and gold mining operations. The area has a semi-arid, low-rainfall climate, averaging around 350mm of rain annually. The landscape is typically characterised by flat, red sandy loam soils and native mulga scrub.

This project establishes permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers. It operates on land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. Project activities include managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, as well as the humane management of feral animals, thereby removing the pressures that previously prevented forest regrowth. The project's proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, operates as a subsidiary of GreenCollar, Australia's largest environmental markets developer. In addition to its environmental benefits, the project provides a diversified income stream, securing the long-term sustainability of the underlying grazing operations.