Darling River Eco Corridor #34

Darling River Eco Corridor #34 is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in the Bourke Shire, approximately 80km northeast of Bourke in north-western NSW. It was registered in May 2018 and covers a total project area of 23,260.39 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve regenerating permanent native forests on land where vegetation was previously cleared and regrowth has been been suppressed for at least 10 years. To achieve this, landholders must implement alternative land management practices to allow suppressed native seed sources (including rootstock and lignotubers) to naturally regenerate and reach a standard forest cover of at least 2 metres in height and 20% canopy cover. For this project, the core activities involve managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and humanely controlling feral animals to remove suppression pressures.

The Bourke region is widely known for extensive pastoral operations, primarily focused on sheep and cattle grazing. The area is characterised by a semi-arid climate with a low average annual rainfall, making it prone to droughts. The soils generally consist of red earths, sandy loams, and clay plains.

This project's proponent is Terra Carbon Pty Limited, which operates as a subsidiary of the large Australian environmental market developer, GreenCollar. The project itself spans three properties managed by the Pattrick family, who initially viewed carbon farming with some skepticism. However, during a period of severe drought, the project provided essential supplementary income. This capital allowed the family to rapidly implement major infrastructure improvements, including the construction of extensive exclusion fencing to control feral goat and pig populations. These changes helped them better manage their core livestock business, build resilience, and even purchase an additional property. Additionally, a variation to the project was recorded in August 2018, which removed some of the originally listed land areas from the project's scope.