Green Creek Regeneration Project

Green Creek Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located in the Bourke Shire, approximately 65km northwest of Bourke in New South Wales. It was registered in March 2022 and covers a substantial 11,548 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests by altering land management practices to encourage natural regrowth. The methodology requires the regenerating forest to stem from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers, and the vegetation must have the potential to reach a height of at least 2 metres with a 20% crown cover.

The Bourke region is a semi-arid environment known for its low, highly variable rainfall. The area is dominated by broadacre pastoral operations, predominantly for sheep and cattle grazing. The local soils generally consist of red earths, sandy loams, and some open clay plains.

For this specific project, the primary activity involves the management of the timing and extent of livestock grazing. By actively controlling grazing pressure, the project allows native vegetation to recover on land that had been previously cleared of vegetation and where natural regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing.

Interestingly, the project secured an optional delivery Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC767566) during the April 2022 auction, committing an initial 59,109 tonnes of carbon abatement to the Commonwealth. The project operates in partnership with the major carbon service provider Climate Friendly Pty Ltd. Additionally, in January 2023, the project underwent an official participant variation, transferring from Green Creek Pastoral Company Pty Ltd to the current trustees of the SW Gubbins Trust Estate No. 3.