Cudgee Regeneration Project

Cudgee Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located approximately 90km southeast of Quilpie in South West Queensland. It was registered in February 2018 and covers an extensive 33,811 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve changing land management practices to allow permanent even-aged native forests to regenerate from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. Standard methodology requirements dictate that the regenerating native trees must have the potential to reach a forest height of at least 2 metres and achieve a minimum of 20% crown cover. In this project, vegetation was historically cleared and regrowth was suppressed for over 10 years; the proponent is now actively managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow the native forest to recover.

The Quilpie region is well-known for its rangeland grazing operations, focusing heavily on sheep and beef cattle, as well as its boulder opal mining industry. The environment is considered semi-arid, experiencing a low average annual rainfall of around 346mm. The soils in this local area are predominantly silty loams, sandy loams, and red earths, which can be saline-sodic but are highly capable of supporting resilient native vegetation suited to the harsh outback conditions.

Amaral Pastoral Pty Limited is the project proponent, working alongside carbon service provider Climate Friendly Pty Ltd. The project successfully completed a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC663957) with the Australian Government in 2019, delivering over 5,500 fixed ACCUs. In the voluntary market, credits generated by the Cudgee Regeneration Project have also been highly valued by major corporate entities. For example, People's Choice Credit Union surrendered over 1,300 of these ACCUs to support their Climate Active carbon-neutral certification, and the AllianceBernstein Managed Volatility Equities fund utilized them to offset portfolio emissions.