Bowthorn Human-Induced Regeneration Project

Bowthorn Human-Induced Regeneration Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) project located at Bowthorn Station, approximately 70km west of Doomadgee and 170km west of Burketown in North West Queensland. It was registered in September 2023 and covers 239,049.34 hectares.

Human-Induced Regeneration projects involve establishing permanent, even-aged native forests through assisted regeneration. A standard requirement for this methodology is that the land must have been cleared of native vegetation and had regrowth suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project commencing. The regeneration activities must allow the native trees to eventually reach standard forest cover, typically defined as a height of at least 2 metres and a crown cover of at least 20%.

The Doomadgee and wider Burke Shire region is known for its vast pastoral leases and large-scale cattle breeding operations. The environment features a semi-arid, monsoonal savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Soils across the station are predominantly red to sandy loams, which support spinifex hills, buffel grass, and secca stylo.

Project activities for this site focus specifically on the management of the timing and the extent of livestock grazing. By altering grazing pressure, native vegetation is able to recover naturally from in-situ seed sources, including existing rootstock and lignotubers.

Interestingly, the massive 580,000-acre Bowthorn Station, which features multiple natural watercourses including the Nicholson River, was recently put on the market and sold in late 2024. The property was heavily marketed to pastoralists and investors as a rare "turn-key" opportunity to acquire a reliable Gulf breeding powerhouse (capable of carrying 7,500 breeding cows) alongside this already approved, ready-to-implement carbon project. Additionally, while the given proponent is E C Throsby Pty Ltd, a major Australian beef processor, the project is officially listed under USINCH Pty Limited on the public registry.