Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site 9

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site 9 is a massive Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on Landor Station in the Shire of Upper Gascoyne, Western Australia. Situated approximately 200km northwest of Meekatharra and east of Gascoyne Junction, the project covers an immense area of 338,027 hectares. This size corresponds closely to the entirety of the Landor pastoral lease, a historic property known for sheep and cattle grazing as well as the annual "Landor Races" bush carnival. Registered in November 2020, the project is part of a broader portfolio managed by Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a trading name often associated with environmental markets developer GreenCollar.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects focus on restoring native forest cover by addressing the activities that previously suppressed it. In this context, the project involves managing the timing and extent of grazing by livestock and controlling feral animals (such as goats) that eat young saplings. By reducing this pressure, native species that exist in the soil bank, such as rootstock and lignotubers, are allowed to regenerate into a permanent even-aged native forest. The methodology requires that the land was cleared of vegetation and regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement.

The project operates within the Gascoyne bioregion, an area characterized by a semi-arid to arid climate with low, variable rainfall averaging around 200mm annually. Rainfall here is often driven by irregular cyclonic activity in summer and winter troughs. The landscape is dominated by floodplains along the Gascoyne River system, featuring red earthy sands, loams, and stony soils. The vegetation typically consists of open Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands, saltbush, and bluebush shrublands, which are well-adapted to the harsh, dry conditions but sensitive to overgrazing.

An interesting facet of this project is its location on Landor Station, which has a rich pastoral history dating back to the early 20th century. The station includes the heritage-listed Nundigo Well and stockyards, historically used by drovers moving cattle to the railhead at Meekatharra. By shifting focus from intensive grazing to carbon sequestration, the project represents a significant change in land use economics for the region, leveraging the vast rangelands for climate mitigation while maintaining the landscape's ecological integrity.