Darling River Conservation Initiative Site #5

Darling River Conservation Initiative Site #5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 25km northeast of the border town of Hungerford, Queensland. Registered in November 2018, the project covers a substantial area of 31,239 hectares within the Paroo Shire. While the project bears the "Darling River" name, it sits within the northern catchment areas (such as the Paroo River basin) that feed into the Darling system.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. Unlike environmental planting, which involves active tree planting, HIR projects rely on regenerating native forests from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers found naturally in the soil. To achieve this, the project proponent must remove "suppressors" that previously prevented regrowth. In this specific instance, the primary activity involves managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and controlling feral animals (likely goats) to allow the suppressed vegetation to recover and reach forest cover status.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate, typically receiving between 300mm and 400mm of annual rainfall. The landscape likely consists of Mulga lands, featuring vegetation such as Acacia aneura (Mulga) and Poplar Box. Soils in the Paroo basin are generally a mix of cracking clays (Vertosols) on floodplains and red earths or sandy loams (Kandosols/Tenosols) on the surrounding ridges and plains. Historically, this area has been utilized for extensive sheep and cattle grazing, which aligns with the project's baseline of suppressed regrowth due to pastoral activity.

A notable aspect of this project is its proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited. Terra Carbon is a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group, Australia’s largest environmental markets investor and project developer. This connection places the project under the umbrella of a major aggregator known for managing large-scale regeneration portfolios across the rangelands of New South Wales and Queensland.