Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Murchison region of Western Australia, approximately 45km northeast of the township of Cue. Registered in May 2018, the project covers a substantial area of approximately 97,906 hectares. Public records associate this project with Nallan Station, a pastoral lease traditionally used for sheep and cattle grazing. The broader region is characterized by its rangelands land use, where pastoral activities coexist with significant mining exploration.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves regenerating native forests on land where vegetation growth has been suppressed for at least 10 years, typically by livestock or feral animals. To achieve this, the project activities include managing the timing and extent of grazing and humanely controlling feral animals such as goats. By relieving this pressure, the native vegetation, specifically Mulga woodlands and Acacia shrublands, is able to regenerate from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers.

Environmentally, the Murchison region is classified as arid to semi-arid. The area experiences low and highly variable rainfall, averaging between 200mm and 250mm annually, which can occur in both winter and summer. The soil profile is dominated by red sandy earths, shallow loams, and extensive red-brown hardpan plains.

The proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, is a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group, a major environmental markets developer in Australia. An interesting administrative note for this project is a variation recorded in October 2020, where specific areas were removed from the project, likely to refine the carbon estimation area to ensure compliance with the methodology. The project contributes to a larger aggregation of conservation initiatives in the WA rangelands managed by the same proponent.