Western Australian Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #15

Western Australian Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #15 is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located near Gascoyne Junction, approximately 160km inland from Carnarvon in Western Australia. It was registered in January 2021 and originally covers a massive area of 144,647.62 hectares. In March 2025, a variation was made to the project area, removing certain listed sections to accommodate changes in project boundaries.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent even-aged native forests by promoting the natural regrowth of vegetation from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. This is typically achieved by altering land management practices on land where vegetation was cleared and regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project's commencement. Standard requirements dictate the active removal of suppressors; for this project, that involves carefully managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing to allow the land to naturally regenerate.

The Upper Gascoyne region is known for its remote outback terrain, characterized by large pastoral stations primarily used for beef cattle grazing and sheep farming. The regional environment is semi-arid, experiencing very low and sporadic annual rainfall that averages around 200mm. Soils in the area are predominantly red earths rich in iron oxides, alongside sandy calcareous plains that are highly susceptible to soil erosion without adequate groundcover and vegetation protection.

An interesting note about this project is that its proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, is a prominent carbon farming advisory firm and a subsidiary of GreenCollar, Australia's largest environmental market developer. Recent registry updates from July 2026 indicate that this specific site was issued a substantial volume of 172,719 ACCUs, highlighting the project's massive scale and its successful ongoing environmental regeneration efforts.