Erlistoun Station Regeneration Project

The Erlistoun Station Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Erlistoun Station, a remote pastoral lease approximately 72 kilometers north of Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. Registered in May 2018, this large-scale project covers an expansive area of 292,219 hectares. The station is situated in the deep Western Australian outback, a region primarily defined by rangeland grazing (cattle and sheep) and extensive gold mining operations.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which credits carbon abatement achieved by regenerating native forests on land where regrowth has been suppressed for at least 10 years. The primary activity involves managing the timing and extent of grazing by livestock and feral animals to reduce pressure on vegetation. This allows native species, specifically local varieties like Mulga (Acacia aneura) and saltbush, to regenerate from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers without the need for direct planting.

Environmentally, the Erlistoun area is characterized by a semi-arid to arid climate with irregular rainfall, often averaging between 200mm and 240mm annually. The landscape features iconic "red earth" soils, sandy loams, and skeletal soils typical of the Yilgarn Craton, supporting scattered woodlands and spinifex grasslands. Borodale Creek runs through the property, feeding into waterholes and the ephemeral Namendarra Lake.

The station itself holds significant historical interest; it was the site of the short-lived gold rush town of Erlistoun (now a ghost town) and served as the filming location for Down Under (1926), the first feature-length film shot in Western Australia. The proponent, Moore River Beef Pty Ltd, manages the project with the assistance of carbon service provider Select Carbon (now a subsidiary of Shell).