Yalbalgo Station Forest Regeneration Project (Revoked)

Yalbalgo Station Forest Regeneration Project (Revoked) was a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Yalbalgo Station, approximately 110km south-east of Carnarvon and 55km west of Gascoyne Junction in Western Australia. It was registered in August 2020 and covered 86,436.42 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. This methodology applies to land that was previously cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years. To achieve regeneration, the primary project activities involve the management of the timing and the extent of grazing to stop livestock from suppressing native tree growth.

The Gascoyne region is heavily utilized for pastoral operations, breeding, and backgrounding on large cattle stations. The area experiences a semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of around 209mm. Soils across the station are generally red deep sandy and red sandy duplex soils, which typically support spinifex grasslands and scattered native shrubs.

The project was established by Dews Pastoral Holdings Pty Ltd, with Carbon Farmers of Australia Pty Ltd participating. Interestingly, Yalbalgo Station and neighbouring Ella Valla Station were purchased by Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest's Fortescue in 2022 to support renewable energy and decarbonisation efforts. Fortescue later offloaded the stations, and Yalbalgo was sold to an entry-level pastoral producer in mid-2026 for over $2 million. Ultimately, the carbon project's abatement contract (CAC142665) lapsed or was terminated in December 2023, and the project itself was officially revoked under section 32 of the CFI Rule in March 2025.