Wondinong Station Regeneration Project (Revoked)

The Wondinong Station Regeneration Project (Revoked) was a carbon sequestration initiative located approximately 80km northeast of Mount Magnet in the Murchison region of Western Australia. Registered in November 2018, the project encompassed a significant land area of 77,293 hectares on Wondinong Station, a pastoral lease operated by proponents Lara Jensen and Robert Jason Homewood. The surrounding region is deeply rural, primarily utilized for extensive cattle and sheep grazing, with some mining and tourism activities.

This project utilized the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology, which differs from environmental planting. Instead of manually planting trees, HIR projects rely on regenerating native forests by changing land management practices to suppress impediments to growth. In this context, the primary activity was managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow native vegetation, specifically local species like Mulga (Acacia aneura), to regenerate from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers.

The environmental setting of the Murchison region is classified as semi-arid to arid, typically receiving low and irregular rainfall averaging around 200mm to 220mm annually. The landscape is characterized by red sandy earth, loam soils, and shallow stony soils often overlying hardpan. These conditions support the sparse but hardy Mulga woodlands and shrublands that the project aimed to regenerate.

A notable aspect of this project is its revocation status. The project was revoked under Section 30 of the CFI Rule in May 2023, following the termination of its Carbon Abatement Contract in early 2022. While the proponents are well-known regional advocates, Lara Jensen is a prominent campaigner for rural rail safety, the project was managed by Select Carbon (now a subsidiary of Shell). The revocation suggests a voluntary exit from the scheme, returning the land's primary focus to the proponents' cattle operations and earthmoving business.