Hillview Station Regeneration Project

The Hillview Station Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Hillview Station, a pastoral lease approximately 60 to 70 kilometers southeast of Meekatharra in the Murchison region of Western Australia. Registered in September 2018, the project spans a significant area of 147,768 hectares. The property is owned and operated by the proponent, Darren Owen Cousens (Platinum Pastoral Trust), who runs a cattle operation focusing on Santa Gertrudis and Droughtmaster breeds.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves regenerating permanent even-aged native forests. Rather than planting new trees, this method relies on managing the timing and extent of grazing pressure (from livestock and feral animals) to allow suppressed vegetation, specifically native species like Mulga (Acacia aneura), to regenerate from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers.

The Murchison region is characterized by an arid to semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 200mm to 250mm, which is often irregular. The landscape at Hillview Station features vast stretches of red earth soils supporting Mulga woodlands, Wanderie tussock grass, saltbush, and spinifex. The station actively participates in broader land management initiatives, including the "Smart Farms" program with Rangelands NRM, where the owners have trialed satellite-assisted grazing management technologies to improve landscape resilience against drought.

In 2021, the project underwent a variation to remove specific areas from the carbon estimation area, a common adjustment in large pastoral projects to exclude non-compliant land or infrastructure. The project is supported by carbon service provider Select Carbon, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell Australia.