Cowley Regeneration Project

The Cowley Regeneration Project is a large-scale Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Cowley Station, approximately 80km southeast of Quilpie in South West Queensland. Registered on October 16, 2019, the project covers a massive expanse of 94,187 hectares within the Quilpie Shire local government area. The property owners and proponents, Elizabeth and Robert Morris, work in conjunction with service provider Climate Friendly to manage the carbon abatement activities.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves implementing land management changes to facilitate the regrowth of native forest where it has been previously suppressed. For the Cowley Regeneration Project, this primarily involves the cessation of mechanical clearing and the careful management of grazing pressure from livestock and feral animals. By controlling these suppression activities, the project aims to regenerate permanent native forests, likely dominated by Mulga (Acacia aneura), from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers.

Situated in the Mulga Lands bioregion, the area is characterized by a semi-arid climate with highly variable rainfall, typically averaging between 300mm and 500mm annually. The landscape is defined by its red earth soils, technically known as Kandosols, which are widespread in the Charleville and Quilpie districts. These soils are generally low in fertility and support the native Mulga woodlands that are critical for both carbon sequestration and the region's primary land use of sheep and cattle grazing.

Cowley Station is an active pastoral property that participates in regional biosecurity efforts. Local government records indicate the station is involved in coordinate feral animal control programs, such as wild dog baiting, which aligns with the project's requirement to manage feral herbivores that could damage regenerating vegetation. The sheer size of the project area makes it a significant contributor to the region's carbon abatement efforts.