Yerilla & Menangina Station Regeneration Project

The Yerilla & Menangina Station Regeneration Project is a large-scale Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. The project area encompasses the pastoral leases of Yerilla Station and Menangina Station, situated approximately 160 kilometers north of the major regional hub of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The nearest smaller localities include the historic ghost town of Kookynie and the Shire of Menzies.

Registered in May 2018, the project initially covered a vast area of approximately 475,882 hectares, though variations in 2022 saw some areas removed. The region is characterized by an arid to semi-arid climate with low and variable rainfall, typically averaging between 220mm and 270mm annually. The landscape features iconic "red earth" soils, primarily consisting of red sandy loams and shallow clays that support vegetation such as Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands and saltbush. The primary land use in this remote area is extensive pastoral grazing for cattle and sheep, alongside significant historical and active gold mining operations.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. Unlike environmental planting projects where trees are physically planted, HIR projects rely on assisting the natural regeneration of native forests from existing seed sources (rootstock and lignotubers) found in the soil. The Yerilla & Menangina project achieves this by actively managing the timing and extent of grazing by livestock and feral animals, allowing suppressed vegetation to recover and reach forest cover status.

A notable aspect of this project is its connection to Australian history; Yerilla Station contains the ruins of the Yerilla townsite, a gold rush settlement from the 1890s. Commercially, the project is supported by Select Carbon Pty Ltd, a prominent carbon service provider that was acquired by Shell Australia. The project previously held a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC185102) with the Australian Government, which was listed as completed in February 2023.