CO2 Australia - Human-Induced Regeneration Project - Stage 1 (Revoked)

CO2 Australia - Human-Induced Regeneration Project - Stage 1 (Revoked) was a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 60km northwest of St George in the Balonne region of Queensland. Originally registered on March 17, 2017, the project covered a substantial area of 8,265 hectares. The project area sits within the Mulga Lands and Brigalow Belt bioregions, an area heavily utilized for grazing cattle and sheep, with some dryland cropping in the broader district.

The project operated under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which credits carbon abatement achieved by regenerating native forests on land where vegetation growth had previously been suppressed, typically by livestock grazing. To generate credits, the proponent would have been required to implement management changes, such as excluding livestock or managing feral animals, to allow the native "insitu" seed bank and rootstock to regenerate into forest cover.

The St George region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 500mm, though this is highly variable. The soils in the project vicinity are likely a mix of texture-contrast soils (red earths) and cracking clays (vertosols), typical of the Balonne river basin floodplains and ridges. These environmental conditions can make forest regeneration challenging during drought periods, which may have impacted the project's viability.

Notably, this project has a complex administrative history leading to its revocation. It was initially established by CO2 Australia, a major corporate carbon aggregator. Ownership was transferred to Ian Arnold Nicholson in May 2018. Subsequently, the carbon abatement contract was terminated in November 2020, and the project was voluntarily revoked in April 2021 under Section 30 of the CFI Rule. A Section 30 revocation typically indicates that the project proponent successfully applied to the Regulator to cancel the project, often due to land sales, lack of forest performance, or a shift in business strategy, rather than a compliance penalty.