The PDT Carbon and Biodiversity Project

The PDT Carbon and Biodiversity Project is a Human-Induced Regeneration project located on the Legune and Spirit Hills cattle stations in the Victoria Daly region of the Northern Territory, approximately 60km northeast of Kununurra, Western Australia. It was registered in September 2023 and covers 45,502.36 ha.

Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) projects involve establishing permanent even-aged native forests by suppressing activities that previously prevented regrowth. Under this methodology, landholders must cease destructive practices and manage threats to native vegetation. In this project, the primary activity is strictly managing the timing and extent of livestock grazing. This allows native vegetation, such as eucalypt woodlands and Melaleuca forests, to regenerate naturally from in-situ seed sources (including rootstock and lignotubers) on land where regrowth was previously suppressed for at least 10 years.

The Victoria Daly region, situated near the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, is primarily known for large-scale cattle farming and pastoral operations. The environment features a tropical monsoonal climate characterized by high rainfall during the distinct wet season and very dry, humid winters. Soils across these pastoral floodplains range from heavy cracking clays on the coastal estuarine flats to sandy loams and carbon-depleted soils further inland.

The project takes its name from the Pastoral Development Trust (PDT), an investment vehicle managed by the AAM Investment Group, which acquired the stations in 2018. The proponents aim to integrate a "beef plus carbon" strategy, utilizing new fencing and water infrastructure to rotate cattle effectively and balance agricultural productivity with biodiversity outcomes. Additionally, in August 2026, the project proponent was officially changed from Carbon Neutral Pty Ltd to Natural Capital Platform Pty Ltd.