Castle Hill Station Human-Induced Regeneration Project (Revoked)

Castle Hill Station Human-Induced Regeneration Project (Revoked) was a carbon farming initiative located on the Castle Hill Station pastoral lease, approximately 83km west of Winton in Central West Queensland. Registered in November 2017 and covering a substantial area of roughly 52,000 hectares, the project operated for nearly five years before being voluntarily revoked in September 2022. The region is deeply entrenched in the grazing industry, specifically for cattle and sheep, utilizing the vast native pastures of the area.

The project utilized the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology, which credits landholders for allowing native forests to regenerate by suppressing activities that previously stopped them from growing. In this context, the project activities involved the cessation of mechanical clearing and the management of grazing pressure to allow native vegetation to recover. This method typically requires a long-term commitment (permanence period) of either 25 or 100 years to ensure the stored carbon remains sequestered.

Environmentally, the Winton region is classified as semi-arid with a distinct wet and dry season driven by monsoonal influences. The area is characterized by the Mitchell Grass Downs bioregion, featuring undulating plains and cracking clay soils (vertosols) that swell during the summer rains and crack deeply during winter droughts. This landscape supports resilient acacia woodlands and native grasses essential for the project's regeneration goals.

A notable aspect of this project is its administrative history. It secured a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC509112) with the Australian Government in December 2017 for the delivery of 95,351 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). While the project successfully ran for several years with the contract concluding in January 2021, the project itself was revoked under Section 30 of the CFI Rule in September 2022. Section 30 revocations are voluntary, often occurring when a proponent chooses to exit the scheme, potentially to sell the property without carbon obligations or because the land management goals have changed.