Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #5

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, approximately 150km east-southeast of the coastal town of Carnarvon. Registered on August 21, 2020, the project covers a substantial area of 68,857 hectares within the Shire of Upper Gascoyne. The region is traditionally dominated by pastoral leases used for grazing sheep, cattle, and goats.

This project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves restoring native forest cover through changes in land management rather than active planting. The project proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, facilitates regeneration by managing "suppressors" that previously prevented vegetation growth. This typically involves controlling the timing and extent of livestock grazing and actively managing feral animals, such as goats, to allow native vegetation to re-establish from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers.

The environmental context of the Upper Gascoyne is classified as semi-arid to arid. The area receives low and highly variable rainfall, averaging approximately 200mm to 250mm annually. The landscape is characterized by red sandy loam soils and red-brown hardpan plains, which naturally support vegetation such as Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands and shrublands. The project is part of a broader portfolio of conservation initiatives managed by Terra Carbon across the Western Australian rangelands, designed to improve land health while generating carbon credits.