Darling River Conservation Initiative Site #5

Darling River Conservation Initiative Site #5 is a large-scale Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote Mulga Lands of north-western New South Wales. Situated approximately 25km northeast of the border town of Hungerford and roughly 170km northwest of Bourke, the project covers a substantial area of 31,239 hectares. It was registered on November 8, 2018, by Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group.

The project operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative using the HIR methodology, which focuses on regenerating native forests on land where vegetation growth has been suppressed for at least 10 years. Unlike environmental planting projects that involve active tree planting, this initiative relies on assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. To achieve this, the project activities include managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and humanely controlling feral animals (likely goats) to reduce pressure on emerging vegetation, allowing the native forest to recover and sequester carbon.

The surrounding region is defined by a semi-arid climate with low and variable rainfall, typically supporting rangeland grazing operations. The landscape is characterized by the Mulga Lands bioregion, featuring red earth and sandy loam soils (often classified as Kandosols) that support vegetation dominated by Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands, shrublands, and native grasses. The project is part of a broader "Darling River Conservation Initiative" aggregation by the proponent, which aims to create an eco-corridor of regenerated forest across the upper catchments of the Darling River system.