Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site 9

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site 9 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Shire of Upper Gascoyne in Western Australia, approximately 230km northwest of the major regional town of Meekatharra. It was registered in November 2020 and covers a vast area of 338,027.73 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers, on land where regrowth has been suppressed for at least 10 years. To meet standard methodology requirements, projects must mitigate or cease these suppressive activities. For this project, standard activities include managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and managing feral animals in a humane manner, allowing native vegetation to recover and eventually achieve a mature forest canopy.

The Upper Gascoyne and wider Murchison region is known heavily for extensive pastoral operations, primarily focused on cattle and sheep grazing across vast station leases. The area's environment is classified as arid to semi-arid, experiencing highly variable and generally low rainfall. Soils across these outback rangelands typically consist of red sandy earths, shallow stony soils, and red clay loams.

An interesting note is the project's recent transition of ownership. On January 9, 2026, the project participant officially changed from Terra Carbon Pty Limited to the global commodities firm, Mercuria Commodity Markets (Asia) Pte. Ltd.