SA Cattle Conservation HIR Project #01112022 TP

SA Cattle Conservation HIR Project #01112022 TP is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located at Tieyon Station, situated approximately 120km north of Marla and 350km south of Alice Springs in the far north of South Australia. It was registered in March 2023 and covers an expansive 653,070.27 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources, such as rootstock and lignotubers. This methodology requires implementing specific changes to land management practices on land where regrowth was historically suppressed for at least 10 years. For this project, management of the timing and extent of livestock grazing is utilized to allow native vegetation to naturally recover and reach standard forest cover.

The Tieyon Station region is deeply ingrained in pastoral cattle grazing operations, particularly Black Angus breeding and fattening. The surrounding environment is considered arid to semi-arid, characterized by highly variable, summer-dominant rainfall that averages only 200mm per year. The landscape encompasses a diverse range of land types, including mulga country, low tablelands, and sand ridges extending from the Pedirka Desert, featuring a mix of red sands, loams, granitic, and clay soils.

Interestingly, the underlying pastoral lease at Tieyon Station has been managed by the Smith family for over 100 years, balancing commercial cattle production with native vegetation recovery in a challenging desert ecosystem. The project also operates alongside an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) with the Walka Wani Aboriginal Corporation. It has proven to be highly productive; a market report noted that the project generated over 180,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) in a single month in late 2025. Additionally, the proponent, RegenCo Pty Ltd, holds an active contract with the Clean Energy Regulator for the optional delivery of 950,000 abatement units.