South Australian Conservation Alliance Site #5

South Australian Conservation Alliance Site #5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 125km northeast of Burra in the pastoral district of South Australia. Situated on Sturt Vale Station, which comprises five separate properties including Sturt Vale, Wyndale, Alexandrina, Fordes Lagoon, and Aldermans, the project was registered in June 2021 and covers an expansive 137,330.28 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests through changes in land management practices. The standard requirement for these projects is allowing native vegetation to naturally regenerate until it can achieve forest cover (typically classified as reaching at least 2 metres in height and 20% crown cover). This specific project establishes these forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, including rootstock and lignotubers, on land that was cleared of vegetation and where regrowth had been suppressed for at least 10 years. Core project activities to facilitate this include the humane management of feral animals and carefully controlling the timing and extent of livestock grazing.

The northeastern pastoral region of South Australia is predominantly used for broadacre pastoral operations, with local stations running sheep, goats, and cattle. The environmental conditions are distinctly semi-arid, with the project area recording an extremely low average annual rainfall of just 208mm, making water management critical. Soils in this dry pastoral zone typically consist of red calcareous earths, shallow loams, and sandy soils that are highly sensitive to overgrazing but respond well to regenerative management.

The project is championed by Terra Carbon Pty Limited, a subsidiary of the major environmental market developer GreenCollar. It is managed by third-generation pastoralists who are actively utilizing the carbon project to improve station infrastructure. By implementing new rotational grazing practices coupled with additional fencing and water reticulation upgrades, the landholders have already observed tangible improvements in soil condition, groundcover, and local insect and bird populations.