CO2 Australia - Human-Induced Regeneration Project - Stage 5 (Revoked)

CO2 Australia - Human-Induced Regeneration Project - Stage 5 (Revoked) was a forest regeneration project located approximately 5km south of Peak Hill and 45km north of Parkes in the Central West region of New South Wales. Registered in November 2017, the project covered a remarkably small area of just 1.46 hectares, suggesting it may have been a pilot site, a specific small land parcel within a larger aggregation, or an administrative subdivision. The surrounding region is heavily utilized for mixed farming, particularly sheep and cattle grazing as well as wheat and canola cropping.

The project operated under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology, which awards carbon credits to landholders who allow native forests to regenerate on land where regrowth was previously suppressed, typically by livestock or feral animals, for at least 10 years. To be eligible, the land must have the potential to reach "forest cover," defined as 20% canopy cover at a height of 2 metres. The primary activity for this specific project was the exclusion of livestock to facilitate this natural recovery.

Environmentally, the Peak Hill region sits in a transitional climate zone between semi-arid and temperate, receiving an average annual rainfall of approximately 550–600mm. The soils in this area are predominantly red earths and red-brown loams (Chromosols), which are fertile but susceptible to erosion if vegetation cover is removed.

Notably, the project was revoked on June 23, 2022, under section 30 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015, which indicates a voluntary revocation by the proponent. This often occurs if a project is deemed economically unviable or if the land is sold. Interestingly, the participant name was updated in the registry from "CO2 AUSTRALIA LIMITED" to "CO2 AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd" in December 2024, more than two years after the project was revoked, likely reflecting a broader corporate entity status change for the proponent rather than activity on this specific project.