Paroo River South Environmental Project

Paroo River South Environmental Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located at a site roughly 75km northwest of Cunnamulla, near the town of Eulo in the Paroo Shire of South West Queensland. It was registered in November 2016 and covers an expansive 41,445.8 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve changing land management practices to allow native forests to regenerate from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. The standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the regenerating vegetation must have the potential to reach a forest canopy cover of at least 20% and a height of at least two meters. This specific project achieves this regeneration by ceasing mechanical and chemical destruction of regrowth, and by carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing on land where vegetation had been actively suppressed for at least 10 years.

The Paroo Shire region is predominantly known for vast pastoral properties utilized for sheep and cattle grazing. The environment is characterized by a semi-arid climate with low annual rainfall, generally averaging between 200–400 mm. Soils in this outback landscape mostly consist of red earths, sandy loams, and alluvial clay plains near the river systems, which primarily support hardy Mulga scrublands and native grasses.

Interestingly, carbon credits (ACCUs) generated by this project have been actively sought after by several major corporations. Organizations such as AllianceBernstein, Woodside Energy, and Smartways Logistics have purchased and retired ACCUs from the Paroo River South Environmental Project to fulfill their corporate sustainability and voluntary carbon offsetting targets. Additionally, the project originally held a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC760482) with the Australian Government in April 2017, but this lapsed or was terminated in October 2018, indicating the project is now likely supplying the voluntary carbon market. The project has undergone several participant variations since registration and is currently jointly managed by Lanin Holdings Pty Ltd and Ninal Ventures Pty Ltd.