Blinky Forest Carbon Project

Blinky Forest Carbon Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 70km northeast of Quilpie in South-West Queensland. It was registered on April 10, 2018, and covers an expansive 49,303.96 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve regenerating native forest by altering land management practices to encourage natural forest growth. For this project, the methodology requirements involve ceasing the mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing. This allows native vegetation to recover from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers, on land that had been previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement.

The Quilpie Shire area and the surrounding Mulga Lands bioregion are predominantly used for extensive cattle and sheep grazing operations. The region experiences a semi-arid climate characterised by low and highly variable rainfall, while the environmental soils are typically composed of sandy loams, red earths, and cracking clays.

Allowing the native forest to regenerate in this region provides significant co-benefits, including reducing soil erosion and salinity, improving water quality, and creating vital habitats for native insects, birds, and reptiles. The carbon credits generated by the Blinky Forest Carbon Project have been actively utilized by major corporate entities to meet sustainability targets; for example, Woodside Energy retired 15,475 carbon credits from the project to offset their Scope 1 and 2 emissions in the 2021-22 period, and AGL included the project in their FY23 ESG carbon offset portfolio. Furthermore, the project underwent a participant variation on January 1, 2024, changing its proponent from Tacora Agri Pty Ltd to Prove Pastoral GP Pty Ltd. Interestingly, this transfer of ownership followed commercial litigation and trial proceedings between the two corporate entities in the Supreme Court of Queensland throughout late 2023.