South Australian Conservation Alliance Site #5

South Australian Conservation Alliance Site #5 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote North East Pastoral district of South Australia. It is situated approximately 80km northeast of the historic copper town of Burra and roughly 60km south of Yunta on the Barrier Highway. Registered in June 2021, this extensive project covers a massive 137,330 hectares of pastoral lease land.

The region is defined by its use as rangeland for extensive sheep and cattle grazing. It sits within a semi-arid to arid climate zone, characterized by low, irregular rainfall and high evaporation rates. The soils in this area are typically calcareous earths, crusty loams, or red duplex soils, which naturally support vegetation types such as Chenopod shrublands (saltbush/bluebush), Mulga, and open Mallee woodlands.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology. This involves altering land management practices to facilitate the regrowth of native forest from in-situ seed sources (seeds already in the soil or existing rootstock). The primary activities for this project include the strategic management of livestock grazing timing and intensity, alongside the humane control of feral animals, particularly goats, which are a significant suppressor of vegetation in this region.

An interesting aspect of this project is its inclusion in the "South Australian Conservation Alliance," a portfolio of aggregated carbon projects developed by GreenCollar (under the proponent Terra Carbon Pty Ltd). While this specific site is in the North East Pastoral district, other sites in this Alliance (such as Site #2) are located in different regions like the Gawler Ranges and have been used to supply Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to major institutions like the University of South Australia for their carbon neutrality targets.