CO2 Australia - Human-Induced Regeneration Project - Stage 3 (Revoked)

CO2 Australia - Human-Induced Regeneration Project - Stage 3 (Revoked) was a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 25km north of Condobolin in the Central West region of New South Wales. Registered in March 2017, the project covered an exceptionally small area of just 2.18 hectares, which is highly unusual for HIR projects that typically span thousands of hectares. The project was voluntarily revoked in March 2021 under section 30 of the Carbon Farming Initiative Rule, meaning the proponent withdrew the project, likely due to its lack of viability given the negligible size or a strategic portfolio realignment.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects generate carbon credits by regenerating native forests on land where vegetation has been suppressed for at least 10 years. Unlike tree planting, this method relies on assisting natural regeneration from in-situ sources, such as rootstock, lignotubers, or existing seeds, primarily by excluding livestock and managing feral animals. To receive credits, the land must regenerate to achieve "forest cover," defined as trees over 2 meters tall with at least 20% canopy cover.

The project was situated in a semi-arid agricultural zone characterized by mixed farming, including sheep and cattle grazing and cereal cropping. The region typically experiences an average annual rainfall of approximately 450mm to 470mm. The soils in this area are predominantly red-brown earths (Chromosols) and clays, which are fertile but prone to erosion if vegetation cover is removed. The "Stage 3" designation suggests this small parcel may have been part of a larger aggregation or a segmented land portfolio managed by CO2 Australia, a prominent carbon service provider, prior to its revocation.