Wilgena and North Well Stations

Wilgena and North Well Stations is a vast Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the remote North West Pastoral district of South Australia. Situated immediately surrounding the historic railway town of Tarcoola, the project lies approximately 180 kilometers northeast of Ceduna and roughly 350 kilometers northwest of Port Augusta. Registered in March 2023, the project originally covered an immense area of 811,300 hectares, making it one of the largest single carbon projects in the region.

The project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration methodology, which facilitates the recovery of native forests by removing suppression activities. In this context, the primary activity is the management of grazing pressure. By controlling the timing and extent of grazing by livestock (and potentially managing feral animals), the project aims to allow suppressed native vegetation, specifically Mulga (Acacia aneura) and Western Myall woodlands, to regenerate and reach forest cover status.

The region is characterized by an arid climate with low and unpredictable rainfall, typically averaging between 150mm and 175mm annually. The landscape consists of undulating plains with red calcareous earths, sandy soils, and stony tablelands, historically used for extensive Merino sheep grazing. The vegetation is dominated by chenopod shrublands (saltbush and bluebush) which provide critical fodder for the station's wool operations.

Wilgena Station is a property of significant historical standing, owned by AJ & PA McBride Ltd since 1924, and was once regarded as the largest completely fenced sheep run in the world. The project proponent, AI Carbon Projects No 3 Pty Ltd (a subsidiary of Australian Integrated Carbon), works in partnership with the pastoralists. A variation to the project area was noted in December 225, which involved the removal of specific land areas from the project, a common practice in HIR projects to refine the Carbon Estimation Area (CEA) by excluding land with insufficient regeneration potential.