Centralian Project – NT
Aileron Roadhouse, Northern Territory
This August, the new Centralian project kicked off in Alice Springs with members from the Mulloon Institute, Northern Western Australia and Northern Territory Innovation Hub (NWANT) and Tierra Australia meeting with station managers from the Central Australian rangelands.
The project consists of scaling proven landscape rehydration and sustainable management practices to restore the landscape function across four central Australian rangeland catchments. These sites will be used to trial, demonstrate and widely communicate the benefits of landscape rehydration and sustainable management practices to pastoral land holders in the NT and WA.
The properties of Aileron, Ahakeye Aboriginal Land Trust and Narwietooma and Glen Helen Stations will be the focus of the Centralian project, where on-ground demonstrations will include a management package of catchment function analysis, landscape rehydration, grazing management and fire management. The details for each station demonstration will be developed by station managers with support from experts in these fields.
Throughout the second half of 2022 and early 2023, Mulloon Consulting will plan, oversee, and independently certify landscape rehydration works on all four properties, with on-ground works conducted by the NWANT Innovation Hub with support from the stations.
The Charles Darwin University’s Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods will develop monitoring plans for all demonstration sites and will be supported by two PhD research projects.
An additional component of the Centralian project is a fifth property – Woodgreen Station – which is home to a series of old rehydration works that have been established for the past 50 years. The property, north-east of Aileron, will be the focus detailed analysis using on ground data plus historical satellite imagery to determine the outcomes and evaluate the effectiveness of rehydration works and controlled grazing.
It is expected that the Centralian project will be completed in time for the 2023 Aileron Field Day, where the on-ground demonstrations of landscape rehydration and regenerative agriculture will rehydrate approximately 8000 ha of Central Australia and allow for landscape rehydration models to be developed for broad adoption across the rangelands of the NT and WA, utilising the NWANT Innovation Hub and its network to connect with producers.
The Centralian project is funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund - Drought Resilient Soils and Landscapes Program through the Charles Darwin university.
Landscape rehydration workshop with station managers at Tilmouth Well, NT.