Darling River Eco Corridor #37

Darling River Eco Corridor #37 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located west of Cobar in the upper catchments of the Darling River in New South Wales. It was registered in May 2018 and originally covered 13,512.30 hectares, though a variation in January 2021 saw some specific areas removed from the project.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve changing land management practices to allow native forests to naturally regenerate from existing in-situ seed sources, including rootstocks and lignotubers. The standard requirement is to achieve a permanent even-aged native forest (typically defined as reaching at least 2 metres in height and 20% canopy cover) by ceasing activities that previously suppressed regrowth, such as historical land clearing or unmanaged grazing.

The Cobar region and surrounding Barnato Downs bioregion are characterised by a semi-arid climate with low and variable rainfall. The soils in this part of western New South Wales are predominantly sandy loams, red earths, and clays. The overarching land use in the region is extensive pastoral farming, primarily focusing on sheep and cattle grazing.

This project was established on land where vegetation regrowth had been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to commencement. By actively managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, installing fencing and water upgrades, and humanely managing feral animals (such as feral goats), the project aims to regenerate natural woodlands. Field surveys note the return of dominant native species including White Cypress Pine (Callitris glaucophylla), Mulga (Acacia aneura), and Bimble Box (Eucalyptus populnea).

The project is operated on property managed by Vanessa and Dudley Reschke. According to project developer GreenCollar, the carbon initiative has greatly benefited the family's sheep enterprise by improving drought resilience, stabilising soils to reduce erosion, and funding structural infrastructure upgrades. The diversified income has allowed the family to pay off their mortgage and give back to the community by creating local jobs for the ongoing management of the project.