Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #5

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 35km south-west of Gascoyne Junction in the Shire of Upper Gascoyne, Western Australia. Registered in August 2020, the project spans a significant area of 68,857 hectares. The region is defined by vast pastoral leases used primarily for extensive cattle and sheep grazing, which characterizes the local land use.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which differs from tree planting projects. Instead of planting seedlings, HIR projects facilitate the regeneration of native forests from in-situ seed sources, rootstocks, and lignotubers. A standard requirement for this methodology is demonstrating that the land was cleared of vegetation and regrowth was actively suppressed, usually by livestock or feral animals, for at least 10 years prior to registration. By managing the timing and extent of grazing and controlling feral animals (such as goats), the project aims to allow the native vegetation to re-establish forest cover.

Environmentally, the site is situated in the Gascoyne bioregion, which features an arid to semi-arid climate with low, variable rainfall averaging around 200mm annually. The landscape typically consists of open Mulga low woodlands supported by red earthy sands and shallow stony soils over hardpan. These conditions make the land suitable for rangeland grazing but sensitive to overstocking, which the project seeks to balance.

An interesting note regarding this project is its proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited. Terra Carbon is a subsidiary of GreenCollar, one of Australia’s largest environmental markets investors and project developers. This project is part of a broader aggregated portfolio dubbed the "Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative," which includes multiple sites across the state's pastoral regions designed to sequester carbon at a landscape scale.