Highlands Station Regeneration Project

Highlands Station Regeneration Project is a large-scale Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote rangelands of Central West Queensland. The project area, which spans approximately 56,920 hectares, is situated roughly 90 kilometers south of Isisford and 120 kilometers southwest of Blackall. Registered in November 2016, the property lies within the Longreach Regional Council area and is situated in the Mulga Lands bioregion, an area historically utilized for extensive sheep and cattle grazing.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves implementing land management changes to facilitate the regrowth of native forest on land where vegetation has been suppressed for at least ten years. For Highlands Station, the primary activities include managing the timing and extent of grazing pressure, essentially reducing livestock numbers or altering rotations to allow young trees to establish, and the humane control of feral animals such as goats and pigs that destroy seedlings.

Environmentally, the region is classified as semi-arid with highly variable rainfall, typically averaging around 450mm annually. The landscape consists of flat to undulating plains featuring a mix of soil types; these range from red earths in the timbered Mulga country to cracking clay soils on the open downs. This soil profile supports the regeneration of native Acacia woodlands (including Mulga and Gidgee) and native grasses, which the project aims to restore to permanent forest cover.

An interesting administrative development for the project occurred in December 2021, when the proponent changed from the individual landholder, Ian John Allen, to Terra Carbon Pty Limited. Terra Carbon is a specialist carbon service provider that manages numerous projects in the region. In May 2021, industry news reported that Terra Carbon received a significant share of new Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) issued by the regulator, highlighting the scale of their portfolio which includes Highlands Station.