Waddy Brae-Fairview-Springwater Regeneration Project

Waddy Brae-Fairview-Springwater Regeneration Project is a human-induced regeneration project located approximately 40 kilometres northeast of Injune in southern inland Queensland. It was registered in September 2023 and initially covered an area of 18,868.90 hectares, before the project boundaries were officially amended in a variation in August 2025.

Human-induced regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. To achieve this, the methodology requires project proponents to implement specific land management changes on areas where vegetation has been cleared and suppressed for at least 10 years. For this project, the core activities include the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction of regrowth and carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing.

The Injune region is historically known for cattle grazing, timber production, and more recently, extensive natural gas extraction operations, notably Santos' Fairview gas fields. The area is classified as having a semi-arid to sub-tropical climate, experiencing an average annual rainfall of roughly 630mm. Soils across the undulating local terrain generally consist of sandy surface duplex soils and uniform loamy clays positioned over underlying sandstone geologies.

This carbon project was established by the proponent, Santos Limited, across its grazing properties as a key nature-based solution. It forms part of the company's broader decarbonisation strategy to generate high-integrity Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to offset residual emissions within its supply chain. Corporate climate updates from Santos indicated that the vegetation regeneration project was on track toward its first audit, with its initial ACCU issuance expected in 2026.