Tonkoro Regeneration Project (Revoked)

Tonkoro Regeneration Project (Revoked) was a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Tonkoro Station, approximately 240km south-west of Longreach and 245km south of Winton in Central West Queensland. Registered in May 2018, the project covered a massive 137,510 hectares of the Channel Country bioregion.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects differ from environmental planting; rather than planting new trees, they rely on suppressing activities that prevent natural regrowth. In this context, the project involved managing the timing and extent of cattle grazing to allow native vegetation, likely including Gidyea, Mulga, and riverine species, to regenerate into permanent forest cover.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid climate with variable rainfall, often resulting in "boom and bust" cycles typical of the Channel Country. The landscape features a mix of heavy cracking clay soils on floodplains and lighter red earths on ridges. Historically, the area has been used for extensive cattle breeding and backgrounding.

While this specific carbon project was voluntarily revoked in January 2020, the land itself retains immense environmental significance. In early 2024, the Queensland Government purchased Tonkoro Station to add it to the protected area estate. The property contains critical habitat for endangered species such as the Night Parrot and the Opalton Grasswren, and it protects the headwaters of the Lake Eyre Basin.