Ninghan Station Regeneration Project

The Ninghan Station Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Ninghan Station, a vast pastoral lease approximately 60km south of Paynes Find and 380km northeast of Perth in Western Australia. Registered in May 2018, the project covers a significant expanse of over 197,167 hectares within the Shire of Yalgoo. The property serves as a working station, historically for sheep but now primarily grazing goats, while also operating as a tourism destination known for its wildflowers and the imposing Mount Singleton.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects in this context involve suppressing mechanisms that prevent native vegetation from growing, such as the overgrazing of livestock or feral animals. By managing the timing and extent of grazing, the project aims to allow native forests, specifically the Mulga (Acacia aneura) shrublands and woodlands typical of the region, to regenerate from in-situ seed sources and rootstock. This regeneration sequesters carbon in the woody biomass of the returning forest.

The environment of the Yalgoo bioregion is classified as arid to semi-arid, featuring low and variable rainfall. The landscape is defined by red earth loams, sand plains, and granite rock formations, transitioning into salt lake margins near Lake Moore. The project is managed by the Pindiddy Aboriginal Corporation, highlighting its status as an Indigenous-owned carbon project. The station holds significant cultural value, containing the Ninghan Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), and serves as a traditional meeting place for the Badimaya, Nyoongar, Yamatji, and Wongi peoples.