NT Cattle Conservation HIR Project #01022023 KUR

NT Cattle Conservation HIR Project #01022023 KUR is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located approximately 130km southeast of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Registered on September 16, 2023, the project covers a vast area of 384,461 hectares within the Barkly Shire. Based on the project identifier "KUR" and its geographic coordinates, the project is situated in the Davenport Murchison Ranges bioregion, likely operating on the Kurundi Station pastoral lease. The region is predominantly utilized for extensive cattle grazing.

This project operates under the Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) methodology. Unlike environmental planting projects where seedlings are manually planted, HIR projects rely on regenerating native forests from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers. To achieve this, the proponent must suppress factors that previously prevented regrowth. For this project, specific activities include managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing, humanely controlling feral animals, and managing non-native plant species to allow the landscape to recover to a forest state.

The environment in this section of the Barkly region is classified as semi-arid with a distinct monsoonal wet and dry season. Annual rainfall typically ranges between 350mm and 450mm, falling mostly between November and March. While the broader Barkly Tableland is famous for its cracking black clay soils (vertosols) and Mitchell grass plains, the project's location in the Davenport Ranges suggests a more complex soil profile, including skeletal stony soils on ridges and red earths or clayey sands in the valleys.

An interesting aspect of this project is its sheer scale; covering nearly 400,000 hectares, it represents a significant land management undertaking. The proponent, Regenco Pty Ltd, is known for integrating carbon projects with active cattle operations, often utilizing advanced technologies like digital twinning and LiDAR to baseline and monitor vegetation changes across these extensive pastoral properties.