Waverley Ningawalla Regeneration Project

The Waverley Ningawalla Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located near the locality of Fords Bridge, approximately 70 kilometers northwest of Bourke in New South Wales. Registered in September 2020, the project covers a significant area of 22,160 hectares across the "Waverley" and "Ningawalla" pastoral stations. The region is part of the Mulga Lands bioregion, an area traditionally utilized for extensive grazing of sheep, cattle, and goats.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve regenerating native forests by suppressing activities that previously prevented growth, such as livestock grazing or mechanical clearing. In this specific project, the proponents, Broderick and Elizabeth Anderson, manage the timing and extent of grazing and control feral animals to allow the native vegetation to recover. The goal is to establish a permanent even-aged native forest from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers, which had been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement.

The environmental conditions in this part of Outback NSW are semi-arid, characterized by low and erratic rainfall and hot summers. The terrain typically features soft, deep red earth soils (red loams) and areas of grey clay around swamps or gilgais. The vegetation is dominated by Mulga, Bimble Box, Whitewood, and Ironwood species. An interesting commercial aspect of this project is its participation in the carbon market; it holds an Optional Delivery contract (CAC662462) with the Clean Energy Regulator for 285,951 tonnes of abatement, allowing the proponents flexibility in selling their credits.