Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #19

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #19 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 100km southeast of Carnarvon in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. Registered in August 2021, the project covers a substantial area of 80,583 hectares within the Shire of Carnarvon. The region is traditionally utilized for pastoral activities, specifically the grazing of sheep and cattle on extensive rangeland leases.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which differs from tree planting projects. Instead of planting seedlings, this method involves changing land management practices to allow existing native vegetation, suppressed by previous activities, to regenerate naturally. For Site #19, the primary activities involve managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and controlling feral animals (such as goats) that damage young vegetation. This allows native forest cover, typically dominated by Acacia species like Mulga, to re-establish from in-situ seed sources and rootstock.

Environmentally, the project is situated in a semi-arid to arid climate zone. The region is characterized by low and erratic rainfall, averaging approximately 200mm annually, which often results from summer cyclonic activity or winter frontal systems. The soil profile in this area generally consists of red sandy earths, shallow loams, and red-brown hardpan plains, which support the native shrublands essential for this carbon sequestration method.

An interesting note about this project is its proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, which is a subsidiary of the GreenCollar Group, one of Australia's largest environmental market developers. The "Site #19" designation indicates this project is part of a broad portfolio of aggregated carbon projects across the Western Australian rangelands, designed to operate at a landscape scale to improve biodiversity and soil health alongside carbon abatement.