Western Australian Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #15

Western Australian Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #15 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the Shire of Upper Gascoyne, approximately 80km southeast of Gascoyne Junction and 250km inland from Carnarvon in Western Australia. Registered on January 18, 2021, the project covers a vast area of 144,647.62 hectares within the Gascoyne bioregion.

This region is historically characterized by pastoral leases used primarily for extensive sheep and cattle grazing. The project falls within an arid climate zone, typically receiving low and variable rainfall averaging around 200mm annually, often split between winter and summer systems. The landscape is dominated by Mulga (Acacia aneura) low woodlands and shrublands, with soils generally consisting of red-brown hardpan shallow loams, red sands, and clayey sands typical of the Western Australian rangelands.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve the cessation of activities that suppress vegetation growth, such as unmanaged grazing, to allow native forests to regenerate from in-situ seed sources like rootstock and lignotubers. For Site #15, specific activities include the management of grazing timing and extent, alongside the humane control of feral animals. Notably, this project is part of a broader conservation initiative by Terra Carbon Pty Limited across the rangelands, with other sites (e.g., #8, #13, #22) appearing in the registry. A variation to the project area occurred in March 2025, removing certain land parcels from the project boundary.