Vergemont Regeneration Project (Revoked)

The Vergemont Regeneration Project (Revoked) was a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Vergemont Station, approximately 110km west of Longreach in Central West Queensland. The project was registered in January 2018 and covered a massive area of approximately 271,093 hectares. It was voluntarily revoked in May 2021 under Section 30 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015.

The project operated under the HIR methodology, which involves regenerating permanent native forests by ceasing activities that suppress regrowth. In the context of this region, this typically involves managing or excluding livestock (cattle) and controlling feral animals to allow native vegetation, such as Mulga and Gidgee woodlands, to recover. The Vergemont area is situated in the Channel Country bioregion, characterized by a semi-arid climate with variable rainfall. The landscape features diverse ecosystems, including Mitchell grass downs, cracking clay soils on riverine floodplains, and red earth Mulga lands.

While the carbon project itself did not proceed to a full crediting term, the project area possesses immense ecological value. In 2024, three years after the project's revocation, Vergemont Station was acquired by the Queensland Government in partnership with The Nature Conservancy to be converted into a National Park. The property sits at the headwaters of the Lake Eyre Basin and provides critical habitat for threatened species, including the elusive Night Parrot and the Opalton Grasswren. The revocation of the carbon project may have been a strategic decision by the landowners prior to this sale or due to other commercial factors.