Restoring Murray Woodlands 005 Biodiversity and Carbon Project - Dogleg Swamp

Restoring Murray Woodlands 005 Biodiversity and Carbon Project - Dogleg Swamp is an environmental planting project located at Dogleg Swamp, approximately 20km north of Mulwala in the Murray-Riverina region of NSW. It was registered in July 2024 and covers an area of 50.97 hectares.

Environmental planting projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative methodology involve planting native trees, typically at a density of at least 200 stems per hectare, to establish permanent forest cover. A key requirement of this methodology is that the trees must be planted on land that was predominantly used for agricultural purposes for at least five years prior to the project's commencement.

The wider Mulwala and Riverina region is highly regarded as a prime agricultural hub, primarily known for broadacre cropping (such as wheat and canola) and sheep and cattle grazing. The regional environment is classified as semi-arid to temperate with moderate average rainfall of around 500-700mm annually. The soils generally consist of rich alluvial floodplain sediments, including red-brown earths, clay loams, and sandy loams.

Interestingly, this project is part of a first-of-its-kind initiative led by the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) called the Restoring Murray Woodlands Biodiversity and Carbon Tender. The property has been in the Sloane family since 1862. Proponent David Sloane, who varied the project details in August 2026 to add Philip Sloane as a co-proponent, has fond childhood memories of the property's native trees. Working with Murray Native Seed Services, the Sloanes are using locally sourced seeds to mimic local threatened woodlands. The mixed-species plantings include white box, yellow box trees, wattles, and a ground-layer of chocolate lilies and bluebells, aiming to support vital local ecosystems while simultaneously generating carbon credits.