Lake Everard Station

Lake Everard Station is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) carbon project located in the Gawler Ranges region of South Australia, approximately 495 kilometres northwest of Adelaide and north of the township of Wudinna. Registered in March 2022, the project covers a massive area of 366,400 hectares within the Pastoral Unincorporated Area. The property operates as a pastoral lease, historically running around 12,000 Merino sheep for wool production.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which involves changes to land management, specifically the control of grazing pressure from livestock and feral animals, to allow suppressed native forests to regenerate. By managing the timing and extent of grazing, the proponent aims to facilitate the regrowth of native vegetation such as acacia woodlands, mallee, and chenopod shrublands that have been suppressed for at least a decade.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid to arid climate with low rainfall, supporting vegetation adapted to harsh conditions. The terrain typically features salt lakes and calcrete plains, with soils that are predominantly calcareous, loamy, and often gypseous or saline. The "Everard Land System" in this area is noted for its saline flats and dunes.

The project proponent, AI Carbon Projects No 3 Pty Ltd, is a special purpose vehicle of Australian Integrated Carbon (Ai Carbon). Interestingly, the station has maintained active pastoral operations alongside its carbon project; it reportedly commissioned a new seven-stand shearing shed in recent years, highlighting the integration of carbon farming with traditional wool production. The property also lies near the Lake Gairdner National Park and is subject to an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with the Gawler Ranges native title group.