Coodardy Station Regeneration Project

Coodardy Station Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located at Coodardy Station, approximately 30km northwest of Cue in the Murchison region of Western Australia. It was registered in November 2018 and covers an expansive 166,176 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects aim to restore permanent even-aged native forests by changing agricultural land management practices. Under this methodology, proponents regenerate native vegetation on land where regrowth has been previously suppressed for at least 10 years. This is achieved by altering activities such as managing livestock grazing, controlling feral animals, and removing non-native weed species. The goal is to facilitate natural regeneration until the forest achieves a minimum of 20% crown cover and trees reach at least 2 metres in height.

The Cue and broader Murchison area is traditionally known for large-scale rangeland pastoral operations, primarily sheep and cattle grazing, alongside significant gold and iron ore mining. The region experiences a semi-arid, desert-like climate with a low average annual rainfall of around 200 to 250mm. The soils are typically characterised by red loamy earths, shallow red loams with hardpans, and red sands, which predominantly support hardy native vegetation like Mulga woodlands.

This project establishes permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers, on historically cleared land. The project specifically manages non-native plants and actively controls the timing and extent of livestock grazing across the station. Notably, the project held a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC644637) with the Commonwealth that was completed in January 2022, and the project area underwent a variation shortly after in March 2022 where some previously listed land areas were removed. Coodardy Station itself is a historic pastoral lease with a rugged environment, having been notably struck by severe, ecosystem-damaging thunderstorms and hail in the 1980s.