Idalia Regeneration Project

Idalia Regeneration Project is a human-induced regeneration project located at Idalia Station on the Darling River, approximately 130km southwest of Bourke in far western NSW. It was registered in March 2023 and covers 86,786.74 ha.

Human-induced regeneration projects involve establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers. A standard requirement for this method is demonstrating that the land was previously cleared of vegetation and that regrowth was actively suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project.

The Bourke and Darling River area is known for extensive sheep and cattle grazing on large pastoral stations. The region is considered semi-arid with extremely low rainfall, and soils generally consist of red earths, sandy loams, and floodplain clays.

This project operates by actively managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow the suppressed native forest to regenerate. Interestingly, alongside its carbon farming operations, Idalia Station also operates as a popular outback farm-stay run by the Murray family, hosting campers traveling along the famous Darling River Run.