Challa Station Regeneration Project

The Challa Station Regeneration Project is a large-scale Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Southern Rangelands of Western Australia, approximately 60km east of the township of Mount Magnet. Registered in May 2018, the project spans a massive 190,065 hectares. The surrounding region is deeply entrenched in pastoral history, traditionally used for grazing sheep and cattle on extensive leasehold properties.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme involve implementing management changes to allow native vegetation to recover and eventually achieve forest cover (defined as trees reaching 2 meters in height with 20% canopy cover). For Challa Station, the primary activity is the management of the timing and extent of grazing. This typically involves reducing livestock pressure or managing total grazing pressure (including feral goats) to remove the suppression that previously prevented seedlings from maturing. The land must have been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement to be eligible.

The environment in the Murchison region is classified as semi-arid to arid, characterized by ancient red earth soils, shallow loams, and hardpan plains. The vegetation is dominated by Mulga (Acacia aneura) shrublands and woodlands. Rainfall is low and highly erratic, averaging approximately 200mm to 250mm annually, which makes water retention and landscape rehydration critical focus areas for local land managers.

A notable aspect of this project is the deep connection of the proponents, Ashley and Deborah Dowden, to the land. The Dowden family has held Challa Station since 1888, spanning five generations. The station transitioned from a traditional Merino sheep enterprise to running cattle and rangeland goats, largely due to the impact of wild dogs in the region. The project was developed in partnership with Select Carbon (now a subsidiary of Shell) and holds a Carbon Abatement Contract with the Australian Government.