Moordale Human Induced Regeneration Project

The Moordale Human Induced Regeneration Project is a carbon farming initiative located on the "Moordale" pastoral station, approximately 50km northwest of the town of Walgett in northern New South Wales. Registered in May 2023, the project covers a significant landholding of 6,715 hectares near the village of Cumborah, along the Narran Lake Road.

This region of the Walgett Shire is situated within the semi-arid rangelands, characterized by hot summers and variable rainfall (typically averaging around 400-500mm annually). The landscape is a mix of the area's famous "black soil plains" (vertosols) and lighter red ridges. Historically, the property has been utilized for grazing sheep and cattle, with some opportunistic wheat cropping during wetter seasons. The unpredictability of traditional farming in this climate has made carbon farming an increasingly viable economic alternative for landholders in the district.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. This involves regenerating native forests, such as Mulga, Native Pine, or Eucalypt woodlands, on land where regrowth was previously suppressed, usually by livestock or feral animals. To achieve this, the project activities involve managing the timing and extent of grazing and controlling feral pests like goats and pigs. By reducing this "suppression," the native seed bank in the soil is allowed to germinate and grow into permanent forest cover, sequestering carbon over the project's 25 or 100-year permanent period.