South Australian Conservation Alliance Site #5

South Australian Conservation Alliance Site #5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Sturt Vale Station, approximately 125km northeast of Burra in South Australia's north-eastern pastoral district. It was registered in June 2021 and covers an extensive 137,330.28 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects establish permanent, even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration on land previously cleared of vegetation where regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years. Standard requirements involve removing these suppression mechanisms, such as managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and humanely controlling feral animals, to allow native vegetation to regenerate from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers until it achieves a native forest cover.

The North East Pastoral district is traditionally known for large-scale sheep, cattle, and goat grazing. The environment is considered semi-arid, recording an average annual rainfall of only 208mm. Soils in the region typically consist of low-fertility sandy soils, clay loams, and calcareous earths across undulating plains and dunefields.

Owned and operated by third-generation pastoralists, Sturt Vale Station comprises five separate properties. Since the carbon project commenced, the landholders have utilized it to fund critical infrastructure improvements while maintaining their pastoral business. They have installed 200km of new fencing to better manage total grazing pressure, 15 dam yards and goat traps, and 40km of piping for new water points. These operational changes have already facilitated better vegetation regrowth, improved soil condition and groundcover, and supported an increase in local bird and insect populations.