WA Carbon Cattle Conservation Project # 102721 LD

WA Carbon Cattle Conservation Project # 102721 LD is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 30 kilometers northeast of Laverton in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. Registered in March 2022, the project originally covered a vast area of nearly 198,000 hectares, though this has been subject to variation and division under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011. The project sits within the Shire of Laverton, a remote area characterized by pastoral leases and significant mining activity.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves regenerating native forests on land where vegetation has been historically suppressed, typically by livestock or feral animals. Instead of planting trees, the proponent, Regenco Pty Ltd, manages the land to allow in-situ seed sources (like rootstock and lignotubers) to recover. This is achieved primarily by managing the timing and extent of grazing and controlling feral animals, such as goats and camels, which allows native species like Mulga (Acacia aneura) to re-establish forest cover.

Environmentally, the region is classified as arid to semi-arid, with an average annual rainfall of approximately 230mm. The terrain features extensive sandplains and breakaways, with soils typically consisting of red earths, sandy loams, and skeletal soils over granite or ironstone. The vegetation is dominated by Mulga woodlands and wanderrie grasses, which are well-adapted to the harsh, dry conditions.

A notable aspect of this project is its specific branding as a "Carbon Cattle" project. This indicates Regenco's strategy of integrating carbon farming with active pastoral operations, allowing landholders to diversify income while maintaining a cattle business. The project has undergone administrative restructuring, evidenced by the Section 77A division noted in 2022 and 2023. This provision of the CFI Act allows proponents to split a project into smaller parts, often to manage different regeneration rates across the property or to facilitate partial transfers of the project area.