Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #17

Western Australia Rangelands Conservation Initiative Site #17 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote Shire of Murchison in Western Australia. Situated approximately 40km north of the Murchison Settlement and roughly 300km northeast of Geraldton, the project spans a massive 199,392 hectares. It was registered on September 24, 2021, and operates within a region historically dominated by pastoral leases for sheep and cattle grazing.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which focuses on restoring native forest cover on land where vegetation has been suppressed for at least 10 years. Instead of planting new trees, this method involves changing land management practices, specifically managing the timing and extent of grazing by livestock and humanely controlling feral animals. These changes allow existing rootstock, lignotubers, and seeds in the soil to regenerate into a permanent, even-aged native forest.

Environmentally, the Murchison region is characterized by an arid climate with irregular rainfall, averaging around 200mm to 250mm annually, predominantly falling in winter. The landscape typically features red-brown sandy loam soils and red sandplains supporting vegetation such as Mulga (Acacia aneura) woodlands and shrublands. The project's vast scale suggests it encompasses significant tracts of these rangelands, aiming to sequester carbon while potentially improving soil stability and biodiversity.

An interesting aspect of this project is its inclusion in a broader portfolio; the "Site #17" designation indicates it is part of a larger aggregation of carbon projects likely managed under similar strategies across the Western Australian rangelands. The proponent, Terra Carbon Pty Limited, has been identified in industry reports as an entity associated with the GreenCollar Group, a major player in the Australian environmental markets sector.