Darling River Conservation Initiative Site #11

Darling River Conservation Initiative Site #11 is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in the Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields bioregion, approximately 170km north of Broken Hill in far western New South Wales. It was registered in November 2020 and covers 43,819.64 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent even-aged native forests by encouraging the natural recovery of native trees from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. A standard requirement for this methodology is that the project land must have been previously cleared of native vegetation, and that regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing.

The far western region of New South Wales is widely known for expansive pastoral operations and broadacre grazing. The area is considered semi-arid and experiences low and variable rainfall, while the local environment primarily consists of flat country with sandy loam soils, interspersed with sand dunes and drainage points.

This project is operated by Terra Carbon Pty Limited under an active optional delivery contract, and is associated with the environmental markets developer GreenCollar. The core objective of the initiative is to regenerate natural woodlands and shrublands, fostering the return of dominant local flora such as Dodonaea viscosa (Hopbush), Senna artemisioides, Acacia aneura (Mulga), and Eremophila sturtii. To achieve this, the proponents manage the timing and extent of livestock grazing and implement humane feral animal control measures. Assisted by fencing upgrades and water management, these activities not only sequester carbon but also help reverse historical land degradation and stabilise delicate sandy soils to significantly reduce local erosion.