Lower Lila Native Forest Protection Project

Lower Lila Native Forest Protection Project is an avoided deforestation project located at Lower Lila Station, roughly 50km northwest of Bourke in NSW, near the edge of the Warrego River. It was registered in December 2019 and covers a project area of 22,112.84 Ha.

Avoided deforestation projects protect native forest from being deforested and the land from being converted to an agricultural system. A key standard requirement of this methodology is that the land must have been issued a historical clearing permit prior to 1 July 2010. The project activities specifically avoid emissions by not clearing native forest and calculating carbon stocks using allometric equations applied to tree measurements from biomass surveys.

The Bourke region is characterised by a semi-arid climate with generally low average rainfall. The regional soil types feature a mix of Vertosols (cracking clays) on the river floodplains, as well as Chromosols and Kandosols (red earthy soils) across the broader plains. Regional land use is heavily dominated by livestock grazing. This is reflected at the project site, where the landholder has operated a Merino sheep enterprise for nearly 30 years.

Interestingly, the project actively manages over 3,000ha of native forest within the broader property alongside the existing agricultural operations. The native vegetation being protected includes Mulga, Coolibah, Bimble Box, Turpentine, Hopbush, and Punty Bush. Since the project's inception, there have been reported increases in local native wildlife, including Geckos, Dunnarts, Bustards, and Quails. The proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, is a subsidiary entity of GreenCollar, and the landholder uses the revenue generated from the carbon project to invest back into the property to improve fencing and water points, which helps evenly spread grazing pressure and control feral animals.