Human Induced Regeneration in NPWS Reserves - Pilot Project 2 (Revoked)

Human Induced Regeneration in NPWS Reserves - Pilot Project 2 (Revoked) was a human-induced regeneration project located across several disjointed National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reserves in New South Wales. The project spanned multiple sites, including areas roughly 40km north of Walgett, 60km south-west of Walgett near the Macquarie Marshes, and inland from the Mid-North Coast near Dorrigo. It was registered in September 2016 and covered 21,479.24 ha.

Human-induced regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. Standard requirements dictate that the land must have been previously cleared of vegetation and that regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project starting. To stimulate native canopy regeneration, this project utilised specific land management activities, including the exclusion of livestock, targeted management of non-native plants, and the humane control of feral animals.

Due to the wide geographic spread of the reserves, regional land use and environmental conditions vary significantly. The western sites near Walgett are located in a semi-arid, low-rainfall environment where extensive sheep and cattle grazing is the primary land use, and soils are predominantly grey and brown cracking clays. In contrast, the eastern reserve near Dorrigo is situated in a high-rainfall zone known for forestry, agricultural operations, and conservation, featuring rich basalt and clay loam soils that naturally support dense forest vegetation.

This initiative was designed as a pilot program by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, working under the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure in partnership with CO2 Australia. It was intended to demonstrate how active management of the public national park estate could successfully sequester carbon and generate carbon credits. Over its lifespan, the project underwent several area variations, with land added in March 2017 and subsequently removed in February and November 2019. The project was officially revoked in September 2022 under section 30 of the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) Rule.