Yudnapinna Station

Yudnapinna Station is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 80km north-west of Port Augusta in South Australia. It was registered in September 2021 and covers a massive 229,946.51 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. To meet the standard methodology requirements, the land must have been previously cleared of vegetation with regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. This regeneration is achieved by changing land management practices, which for this specific project involves the active management of the timing and the extent of livestock grazing.

The North West Pastoral district surrounding Port Augusta is known for expansive pastoral leases and large-scale sheep and cattle grazing operations. The regional environment is classified as arid to semi-arid, experiencing low and unreliable rainfall. The landscape is typically characterised by red soils, bluebush, and saltbush, which are highly suited to pastoral sheep grazing when managed correctly.

Historically, Yudnapinna Station has been an active pastoral lease since the mid-nineteenth century, peaking at around 100,000 shorn sheep in the 1850s. The property was acquired by the prominent Australian wool producers AJ & PA McBride Ltd in 2016. Interestingly, the carbon project's name was officially varied in August 2024, changing from its original registry name "AI Carbon No 3 EP YS" to "Yudnapinna Station".