NT Cattle Conservation HIR Project #02142022 UMB

NT Cattle Conservation HIR Project #02142022 UMB is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located in the far south of the Northern Territory, immediately north of the South Australian border. Based on the project's coordinates and the "UMB" identifier in its title, the project is situated on Umbeara Station, a large pastoral lease approximately 30 kilometers west of the Kulgera Roadhouse and 275 kilometers south of Alice Springs. Registered on March 27, 2022, the project encompasses a massive area of approximately 357,226 hectares.

The region consists of arid rangelands characterized by flat to undulating plains, red sandy earth, and calcareous soils typical of the Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields bioregion. The climate is arid with low, irregular rainfall, making vegetation resilience a critical factor for land management. The primary land use in this area is extensive cattle grazing. As an HIR project, the methodology focuses on regenerating permanent even-aged native forests by suppressing activities that previously prevented growth, specifically by managing the timing and extent of grazing and controlling feral animals (such as camels) and non-native plants.

A unique aspect of this project is its proponent's approach to integrating carbon farming with active pastoral operations. Rather than completely destocking, the project aims to demonstrate how cattle production can coexist with forest regeneration through rotational grazing and infrastructure improvements. The proponent, Regenco, utilizes advanced monitoring technologies, including airborne LiDAR and satellite spectral mapping, to baseline vegetation and track regeneration across these vast landscapes with high precision.