Westerton Regeneration Project

The Westerton Regeneration Project is a large-scale Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Westerton Station, approximately 175km south-southwest of Winton and north of the small settlement of Stonehenge in Central West Queensland. Registered in September 2017, the project spans an expansive 55,122 hectares within the Barcoo Shire. The region is situated in the remote "Channel Country," an area historically renowned for its cattle grazing operations on vast pastoral leases.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves implementing land management changes to facilitate the regrowth of native forest where it has been previously suppressed. Unlike environmental planting, this method relies on the germination of in-situ seed sources (soil seed banks) and rootstock. For Westerton, the primary activity is the management of the timing and extent of grazing by livestock. This strategy reduces pressure on young vegetation, allowing native species, likely Gidyea (Acacia cambagei) or Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands, to reach forest maturity.

Environmentally, the site is classified as semi-arid to arid, with highly variable rainfall averaging between 250mm and 350mm annually. The landscape in this part of the Lake Eyre Basin is typically characterized by braided river channels, gibber plains, and Mitchell grass downs. The soils are predominantly grey or brown cracking clays (Vertosols) on the floodplains, transitioning to red earths and desert loams in the elevated or timbered country.

The proponent, Wiltshire Cattle Pty Ltd, manages the land as an integrated grazing and carbon operation. This dual-use model is common in Western Queensland, where carbon revenue provides a buffer against the region's notorious drought cycles while allowing for sustainable beef production during favorable seasons.