Darling River Eco Corridor #38

Darling River Eco Corridor #38 is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in western New South Wales, approximately 95km east of Wilcannia. It was registered in May 2018 and covers a vast 29,875ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve changing land management practices to allow native forests to naturally regenerate from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers. Standard requirements dictate that the regeneration must reach a permanent even-aged native forest structure, achieving a minimum 20% canopy cover and a tree height of at least 2 meters.

The western New South Wales region around the Darling River is traditionally known for extensive pastoralism, specifically sheep and cattle grazing on native pastures. The area is a semi-arid environment characterized by low average rainfall, and the soils generally consist of red sandy loams and alluvial grey clays closer to the river floodplains.

This project establishes permanent native forests on land that had been previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. It achieves regeneration through the active management of the timing and extent of livestock grazing, as well as the humane management of feral animals. Interestingly, the project proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, is a subsidiary of GreenCollar, one of Australia's largest environmental market developers. Furthermore, Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by this specific project have been purchased and surrendered by major corporations, including Westpac, to offset their international operations and emissions footprint.