Paroo River North Environmental Project

Paroo River North Environmental Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on the Yerrel and Humeburn Stations in south-west Queensland, approximately 90km northwest of Cunnamulla. It was registered in November 2016 and covers an expansive 52,905.20 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve regenerating native forests by removing the suppressors that prevent natural regrowth. Standard requirements for this methodology dictate that the land must have been previously cleared with regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years, and the regenerating vegetation must eventually reach a height of at least 2 metres and provide a minimum of 20% crown cover. For this project, regeneration is achieved by ceasing mechanical and chemical destruction of vegetation and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing.

The surrounding region is dominated by pastoral land uses, primarily extensive beef cattle and sheep grazing. Situated in a semi-arid rainfall zone, the local environment is characterised by low and highly variable rainfall. The soils generally consist of red earths, sandy loams, and clays. The project leverages assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers, primarily encouraging the regrowth of Mulga (Acacia aneura) trees.

This project delivers notable co-benefits through an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with the Budjiti Traditional Owners, who possess Native Title rights over the region and share in the project's revenue. Additionally, the Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated have been sought after in the voluntary market by corporations such as the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and Future Super to offset their operations. Over its history, the project's ownership has evolved, undergoing participant variations from Corporate Carbon Solutions in 2017 through to Lanin Holdings Pty Ltd and Ninal Ventures Pty Ltd, while an initial 2017 carbon abatement contract (CAC864407) was recorded as lapsed or terminated in 2018 before a new active contract was secured in 2020.