WA Carbon Cattle Conservation Project #071921

WA Carbon Cattle Conservation Project #071921 is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote Nullarbor region of Western Australia. The project area is situated approximately 5 to 10 kilometers north of the Mundrabilla Roadhouse on the Eyre Highway, roughly halfway between Norseman and the South Australian border. Registered in February 2022, the project covers a massive 385,502 hectares, a scale typical of the vast pastoral leases in this area, such as Mundrabilla Station itself.

The region is defined by its use for extensive pastoral grazing (primarily cattle and sheep) amidst an arid landscape. The climate is semi-arid to arid, with low average rainfall generally falling between 150mm and 250mm annually. The terrain is part of the Nullarbor Plain's limestone karst system, featuring shallow calcareous loams and sandy earth soils (Calcarosols) overlying a limestone bedrock. Vegetation in this area typically consists of Chenopod shrublands (saltbush and bluebush) with an overstorey of native Acacia woodlands, such as Western Myall and Mulga.

This project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. Unlike tree planting projects, HIR credits are generated by changing land management practices to allow suppressed native forests to regenerate naturally. In this specific context, the project activities involve managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing and controlling feral animals (such as camels and rabbits) that eat young tree saplings. By reducing this grazing pressure, native vegetation that has been suppressed for over a decade is allowed to grow back into forest cover.

An interesting aspect of this project is its title, "Carbon Cattle Conservation," and the proponent, Regenco Pty Ltd. This branding aligns with Regenco's operational model, which often focuses on integrating carbon farming with existing agricultural enterprises rather than displacing them completely. The project aims to demonstrate that pastoralists can diversify income by sequestering carbon in native vegetation while potentially maintaining a managed herd, creating a dual-use landscape that benefits both biodiversity and agricultural resilience.