Big Creek Regeneration Project

Big Creek Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Quilpie Shire, approximately 115km southeast of Quilpie and 220km west of Charleville in Queensland's Mulga Lands. Registered in September 2019, it covers an expansive area of 61,498.36 hectares. The Quilpie region is predominantly known for large-scale beef cattle and sheep grazing operations.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve altering land management practices to allow native vegetation to regenerate and achieve permanent, even-aged forest cover. To facilitate this, the project's methodology requires specific activities which include ceasing the mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth, carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, and controlling feral animals in a humane manner.

The environment of this region is classified as semi-arid, experiencing a low average annual rainfall of approximately 346mm. The landscape and soils are characteristic of the Mulga Lands, featuring a blend of soft and hard Mulga country interspersed with Gidyea, Yapunyah, and Box flats, as well as natural ephemeral channel systems.

A notable aspect of this project is its specific focus on establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers. This regeneration is being actively encouraged on land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been continuously suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement. Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by the Big Creek Regeneration Project have been actively traded in the corporate voluntary market, having been purchased and retired by major entities such as Woodside Energy and AGL Energy to meet their corporate emissions reduction targets.