Palmer Human Induced Regeneration Project

The Palmer Human Induced Regeneration Project is a carbon farming initiative located approximately 130km west-northwest of Cobar in the remote rangelands of Western New South Wales. Registered in August 2023, the project covers a substantial area of 18,548 hectares. The region is situated within the Cobar Peneplain bioregion, an area traditionally dominated by pastoral grazing (sheep, goats, and cattle) and mining activities.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. This method credits landholders for regenerating permanent even-aged native forests on land where vegetation growth has been suppressed for at least 10 years, typically by livestock or feral animals. To achieve this, the project activities involve managing the timing and extent of grazing and actively controlling feral animals, likely goats, which are prevalent in the Cobar shire, to allow the native seed bank and rootstock to recover.

Environmental conditions in this semi-arid region are harsh, with annual rainfall averaging between 300mm and 400mm. The landscape is characterized by red earth and lithosol soils, supporting vegetation such as Mulga (Acacia aneura), Bimble Box (Eucalyptus populnea), and White Cypress Pine. The project proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, is a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group, one of Australia's largest environmental markets developers. By reducing grazing pressure, the project aims to restore native canopy cover to at least 20%, sequestering carbon while potentially improving biodiversity and soil stability.