Western Australia Conservation Initiative - Site 2

Western Australia Conservation Initiative - Site 2 is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located on Malgana Country at Talisker Station, near Shark Bay in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It was registered in August 2018 and originally covered 251,049.55 ha, though a variation in September 2022 removed some areas from the project.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests by modifying land management practices to allow native vegetation to regenerate from in-situ seed sources. A standard requirement for this method is demonstrating that forest regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing.

The Shark Bay and Gascoyne region is known for large-scale pastoral leases, primarily focused on sheep and cattle grazing. The area features a semi-arid to arid climate with low rainfall, and soils are generally red sands and calcareous earths.

This project aims to regenerate vegetation that had previously been suppressed by intensive grazing. Project activities include controlling the timing and extent of livestock grazing and managing feral animals in a humane manner. Landholders Barry and Pauline Oliver partnered with proponent Terra Carbon Pty Limited to use the carbon project to accelerate station infrastructure improvements. This includes installing over 250km of new fencing and increasing waterpoints from 3 to 30, which helps keep stock away from creek lines, reduces erosion, and creates jobs for local Indigenous people.