CEFC commits $15M to Indigenous-led wetland restoration for carbon sequestration in New South Wales

The Clean Energy Finance Corporation has committed $15 million through Bank Australia to back the Nari Nari Tribal Council's acquisition of Juanbung and Boyong Stations in southwest New South Wales. The 34,000-hectare project aims to restore The Great Cumbung wetland system at the junction of the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan Rivers, a site that stores significant carbon stocks and supports threatened bird species. Restoration will include removing floodplain barriers and regenerating native woodland species like river red gum and black box. This investment adds to the CEFC's broader natural capital portfolio, which has surpassed $900 million since inception. The project adjoins the 90,000-hectare Gayini property already managed by the Nari Nari Tribal Council, expanding Indigenous-led stewardship in the Murray-Darling Basin. Wetland restoration is increasingly recognized for its role in carbon sequestration and biodiversity co-benefits, though methane emissions from wetlands remain a complex factor in net climate impact calculations.