Buckleboo Station

Buckleboo Station is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located on the northern Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, approximately 31km northwest of Kimba. It was registered in October 2021 and originally covered 99,756.65ha, though the project area was varied to remove some specific sections in September 2024.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources (including rootstock and lignotubers). This methodology requires the land to have been previously cleared of vegetation and for regrowth to have been suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing.

The Buckleboo and Kimba region is traditionally known for pastoral sheep grazing and some grain cropping. The area is considered a semi-arid, low-rainfall environment, averaging around 300mm annually. Soils in the region vary significantly, ranging from red-brown sandy loams to heavy red and grey calcareous soils, with some patches historically prone to dryland salinity and hardpans.

This project was established to regenerate a drought-ravaged landscape by actively changing historical land management practices. The core activities include actively managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, shifting away from a century of set-stocking practices, and humanely managing feral animals such as goats to reduce total grazing pressure. Since beginning this bold ecological reset, Buckleboo Station has seen incredible recovery and was recognized as a state winner of the South Australia Landcare Award for Sustainable Agriculture. The project utilizes modern technology, including Ceres satellite tags for monitoring livestock and NDVI satellite imagery to track vegetation cover. Additionally, badly degraded "scalded" country on the property has been treated with a crocodile seeder to slow water runoff and re-hydrate the soil. The project was originally registered under the name "AI Carbon No.3 EP BS" before being varied to Buckleboo Station in July 2024.