SouthGlen Native Forest Regeneration Project

SouthGlen Native Forest Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 90km east-south-east of Cunnamulla within the Paroo Shire of South West Queensland. Registered in November 2016, the project covers an expansive area of 27,977.95 hectares. The project is managed by John Martin Kerin and Luke John Kerin, with DLF Resources Pty. Ltd. acting as the project agent.

The HIR methodology involves regenerating permanent, even-aged native forests by changing land management practices rather than manually planting seedlings. Standard requirements dictate that the land must have been previously cleared and natural regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement. Regeneration is then achieved through in-situ seed sources, including soil seed banks, rootstock, and lignotubers. To facilitate this, the SouthGlen project actively manages the timing and extent of livestock grazing, alongside the humane management of feral animals, effectively removing the pressures that previously suppressed native vegetation growth.

The Paroo Shire region is predominantly a rural area historically known for sheep and cattle grazing operations, as well as opal mining. The regional environment features a semi-arid climate, receiving roughly 380mm to 400mm of generally unreliable annual rainfall. The local landscape comprises iconic mulga lands, with soils varying from red earths and sandy loams to river floodplains containing clay and stony ridges.

In addition to contributing to landscape restoration, the project has successfully participated in the Australian carbon market. The proponents secured an active Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC783845) during the November 2016 auction, committing a fixed delivery of carbon abatement to the Commonwealth. Furthermore, offsets generated by the SouthGlen Native Forest Regeneration Project have been purchased by major corporate entities, such as ANZ Group Holdings Limited, to help offset their residual emissions and meet voluntary emission reduction targets under the Climate Active program.