Ouida Station Human-Induced Regeneration Project

Ouida Station Human-Induced Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Ouida Station, approximately 96km west of Charleville in South West Queensland. It was registered in November 2016 and spans an expansive 15,876.20 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent native forests by changing land management practices to encourage assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers. For this methodology, the land must have been previously cleared and regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to project commencement. The standard requirement is for the regenerating vegetation to achieve "forest cover," typically defined as a canopy cover of at least 20% and trees reaching a minimum of 2 meters in height. At Ouida Station, this regeneration is achieved through the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction and suppression of regrowth.

The Charleville region experiences a semi-arid climate and is predominantly used for extensive livestock grazing, including cattle, sheep, and goats. The local environment across the station is characterised by soft red and heavier soils, which support native vegetation such as gidgee and both low and high edible mulga. The property is also intersected by the Peters Creek watercourse and is supported by 23 earth dams and a solar-equipped sub-bore.

Interestingly, Ouida Station was held by the same family for three generations spanning 75 years before being listed for sale. When the property hit the market in the early 2020s, its locked-in carbon contract income was heavily advertised as a major commercial drawcard alongside its significant body of stock feed. The property subsequently sold for $2.2 million to an interstate producer, and the carbon project proponents were officially varied to Colleen and Geoffrey Pattison in late 2021. Additionally, carbon project developer CO2 Australia is a listed participant and has previously retired Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) generated by this specific project to support its own corporate Climate Active carbon-neutral certification.