Goodwood Pastoral Regeneration Project

The Goodwood Pastoral Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Goodwood Station, approximately 46 kilometers northeast of the opal mining town of White Cliffs in the Far West region of New South Wales. Registered in October 2021, the project encompasses a massive area of 35,299 hectares, covering the vast majority of the 37,000-hectare pastoral property. The station shares a boundary with the Paroo-Darling National Park, positioning it within a significant conservation corridor in the Australian outback.

The region is defined by a semi-arid to arid climate, with low and highly variable rainfall averaging approximately 250mm annually. The landscape is described as rugged "goat country," featuring rocky escarpments, creek lines, and waterholes, with soils likely ranging from skeletal lithosols on the ridges to red sandy loams and clays in the lower-lying areas. Historically used as a working sheep station, the property is now a multi-use enterprise combining grazing with eco-tourism and carbon farming.

Operating under the HIR methodology, the project focuses on regenerating permanent even-aged native forests, typically Mulga and other native shrub species, by suppressing activities that previously prevented regrowth. The primary activity involves the strategic management of grazing timing and extent. By controlling total grazing pressure from livestock and feral animals (particularly goats), the project allows native vegetation to recover and sequester carbon. Notably, the proponents are also involved in the Far West Rangeland Rehydration project, undertaking erosion control and soil rehydration works that complement the carbon sequestration goals by improving landscape resilience.