Byro Station, Murchison HIR Aggregation

Byro Station, Murchison HIR Aggregation is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote Murchison region of Western Australia. The massive project area, covering 227,058 hectares, sits approximately 260 kilometers north of Mullewa and roughly 300 kilometers northeast of the coastal city of Geraldton. Registered in August 2020, the project operates on a historic pastoral lease known for its vast rangelands.

HIR projects under the Carbon Farming Initiative do not typically involve planting new trees; instead, they focus on regenerating permanent native forests from existing soil seed banks and rootstock. This is achieved by removing the factors that suppress vegetation growth, primarily by reducing grazing pressure. For Byro Station, the specific project activities involve the exclusion of livestock and the humane management of feral animals (likely goats, which are common in the region) to allow the landscape to recover its natural density.

The Murchison region is defined by its arid, semi-desert climate, receiving low and variable rainfall averaging between 200mm and 250mm annually. The terrain is characterized by red earth soils, sandy loams, and hardpan plains supporting "Mulga" (Acacia aneura) shrublands and saltbush. Byro Station itself has a long history as a sheep and cattle station dating back to the late 19th century, with the current carbon project representing a shift toward diversifying land use through environmental restoration.