Hillview Park Regeneration Project

Hillview Park Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 20km southeast of the small township of Stonehenge in Central West Queensland. Registered in September 2015, the project covers a significant area of nearly 47,000 hectares within the Barcoo Shire. The property, Hillview Park, is a pastoral station situated in the heart of the Channel Country, a region defined by its vast river systems and floodplains.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. This specific type of carbon project generates credits by regenerating permanent even-aged native forests on land where vegetation growth was previously suppressed, typically by agricultural activities. In the case of Hillview Park, the primary project activity involves actively managing the timing and extent of grazing by livestock. By reducing grazing pressure, often through the installation of new fencing or water infrastructure, the proponent allows native vegetation, such as Gidyea or Eucalypt woodlands, to regenerate from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with highly variable rainfall, known for "boom and bust" cycles of drought and flooding. The landscape features the intricate braided channels of the Thomson and Barcoo rivers, supporting grazing on fertile grey cracking clay soils in the floodplains and red earth on the surrounding hard country. The proponent, Anthony (Tony) Jackson, is a well-known figure in the local community who has also owned the Stonehenge Hotel. Notably, the project has undergone administrative variations, including adjustments to its area in 2017 and an update to the latest version of the methodology in 2022 to ensure continued compliance.