Austin Downs Station Regeneration Project

Austin Downs Station Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located on a pastoral lease approximately 17km northwest of Cue in the Murchison region of Western Australia. It was registered in May 2018 and covers a project area of 157,561.89 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects establish permanent native forests through assisted regeneration. This method requires the land to have been cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was suppressed by activities such as grazing for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. The project achieves regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers, primarily through managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow the native forest to recover.

The Murchison region is traditionally known for extensive pastoral activities, particularly sheep farming for wool production, as well as historical mining operations. The area is characterised by a semi-arid, hot desert climate with increasingly summer-dominant rainfall. Local soils are typically composed of subsaline sands and gypsaceous clays, which historically experience low levels of erosion. The regional environment features ephemeral lake systems, such as Lake Austin, interspersed with large granite monoliths like Walga Rock.

This project was set up to transition the property from carrying 16,000 sheep to a more responsive cattle grazing approach, focusing on environmental repair and carbon sequestration. It is notable for undertaking the first in-perpetuity caveat in Western Australia to lock up native vegetation. The leaseholders actively collaborate with First Nations people from the Wajarri and Yugunga-Nya families to identify and protect cultural sites. Furthermore, the regenerated property acts as a crucial habitat for biodiversity, supporting threatened species such as the distinct 'black form' of the Western Pygmy Skink and the critically endangered beaked emu bush. In July 2020, a variation was made to the project to remove certain areas from the total project scope.