Arbon - Tooligie - Human Induced Regeneration

Arbon - Tooligie - Human Induced Regeneration is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the rural locality of Tooligie on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. Situated approximately 85 kilometers north of the major regional center of Port Lincoln and about 290 kilometers west of Adelaide, the project sits within a landscape heavily utilized for dryland agriculture. The region is widely known for cereal cropping (particularly wheat and barley) and sheep grazing.

Registered in December 2013, the project covers a substantial area of 6,211 hectares. The local environment is characterized by a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 400mm. The soil profile in this part of the Eyre Peninsula is dominated by Calcarosols, calcareous sandy loams and shallow sands sitting over a layer of calcrete (limestone), which can present challenges for water retention but supports native mallee vegetation when cleared for agriculture is ceased.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which differs from tree planting projects by focusing on the restoration of existing seed banks and rootstocks. By ceasing activities that suppress regrowth, such as mechanical clearing and intensive grazing, the project allows native forest to regenerate naturally from in-situ sources like lignotubers.

Originally established by local landowners Andrew and Debra Arbon, the project proponent role was transferred to Terra Carbon Pty Limited in 2015. Notably, independent analysis has highlighted this project as a high-performing example of the HIR method; while many similar projects have struggled to demonstrate forest cover increases, data suggests the Arbon-Tooligie project achieved a material increase in tree cover of approximately 37% within its first decade. The project area has seen multiple administrative variations, with the most recent amendment to the project area listed in December 2025.