Far West Native Forest Protection Project

The Far West Native Forest Protection Project (ERF111260) is an avoided deforestation project located approximately 25 kilometers northwest of Lightning Ridge in northern New South Wales. Registered in March 2017, the project covers a substantial area of 6,781 hectares within the Walgett Shire. This region, situated near the border of Queensland, is characterized by its vast rangelands typically used for grazing sheep and cattle, as well as its famous opal mining operations.

Avoided deforestation projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative allow landholders to generate carbon credits by voluntarily forfeiting their legal right to clear native forest. To be eligible, the project area must have held a valid land clearing permit issued before 1 July 2010, which would have otherwise allowed the forest to be converted into cropland or pasture. By maintaining the forest instead of clearing it, the project prevents the release of stored carbon into the atmosphere and protects local biodiversity.

The environment in this part of the 'Far West' is classified as semi-arid, with Lightning Ridge recording an average annual rainfall of approximately 460mm. The landscape is a mix of ridges and floodplains, featuring soil types that range from the gravelly red earths and sandy loams of the ridges to the grey cracking clays (vertosols) of the black soil plains. The native vegetation protected by this project likely includes species common to the area such as Mulga, Coolibah, and Bimble Box, which provide critical habitat in this dry ecosystem.

The project is operated by Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group, a major player in the Australian environmental markets. Notably, on 28 June 2024, the project was divided under section 77A of the CFI Act, a process that typically involves splitting a project into multiple distinct projects or transferring part of the project area to facilitate administrative or commercial changes.