Here we take a clear look at what soil carbon is, why the numbers suddenly surged, where the main risks sit, and the options you have on your property.
253K
ACCUs issued for soil carbon in 2023 alone
42+
Per tonne ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
price, late 2024
282K ha
New soil carbon projects, 2025
51%
Topsoil carbon lost from Aust. farmland
Scroll to explore
01 — Fundamentals
What is Soil Carbon?
Soil carbon is the organic material stored below your feet — the decomposed remains of plants, animals, and countless microbes. It is the foundation of soil health and one of the planet's most powerful natural tools for pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. More of it means better land, stronger yields, greater drought resilience, and now, a real income stream.
How Carbon Moves Through Your Soil
The carbon cycle — simplified
🌱
How It Forms
Plants pull CO₂ from the air and push carbon into the soil through roots and decomposing leaves. Microbes break this down and some becomes stable, long-lasting humus.
🌍
The Scale of It
The world's soils store 2–3 times more carbon than the entire atmosphere, roughly 1,500–2,400 billion tonnes. Your paddock is part of the planet's most important carbon reservoir.
💧
More Than Carbon
Every 1% increase in soil organic matter helps soil hold an extra 90,000–180,000 litres of water per hectare. More carbon means drought resilience, less erosion, and stronger pastures.
📉
What We've Lost
Intensive agriculture has stripped approximately 51% of topsoil carbon
from Australian farmland. Most of it can be rebuilt, and you can be paid to do it.
02 — The Australian Picture
A Market Coming of Age
253,009
ACCUs issued for soil carbon in 2023, up from fewer than 2,000 in all prior years combined
57/99
New ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
projects in Q2 2025 that were soil carbon
18%
Growth in registered ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
projects 2024, driven by soil carbon
$42.50
ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
spot price November 2024, driven by Safeguard demand
282K ha
Added under soil carbon methods 2025 — the biggest single year on record
Australia operates one of the world's most rigorous carbon credit systems. The Australian Carbon Credit Unit ( ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
) Scheme, run by the Clean Energy Regulator, lets landholders earn tradeable credits for sequestering carbon in their soil.
For nearly a decade after soil carbon methods were introduced in 2014, credits were almost theoretical. Only a handful of projects were ever issued units. That changed dramatically in 2023 when more than 253,000 ACCUs appeared on the register — a figure that surprised even industry insiders.
"This is the first large-scale issuance of high-integrity soil carbon credits done on real-world operations at scale, going through droughts, pasture diebacks, the whole works."
Dr Terry McCosker, CarbonLink (RCS), 2023
Queensland is emerging as the national hotspot, where a combination of favourable soil biology and suboptimal historical farming practices means the greatest measurable gains are possible.
Soil Carbon ACCUs Issued — Australia
Annual approximate issuances · 2019 to 2025 · one ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
= one tonne CO₂ equivalent
Source: Clean Energy Regulator · S&P Global Commodity Insights · Carbon Pulse · Beef Central. 2024* and 2025* are estimates.
03 — Understanding the Surge
Why Did the Numbers Surge?
The 2023 surge is one of the most discussed events in Australian carbon markets. Understanding what drove it, and what it tells us about soil carbon's non-linear nature, is essential reading before committing to a project.
The short answer: three La Niña A weather pattern bringing above-average rainfall to eastern Australia, typically every 3–7 years.
years in a row. The 2020–2022 period brought exceptional rainfall across eastern Australia, with decile-10 conditions recorded across large parts of Queensland and NSW. Most of the first soil carbon projects set their baselines in 2016–2018, a relatively dry period. When the 2021–2022 measurement period coincided with the wettest years in a century, soil carbon measurements spiked dramatically.
Research published in 2024 (Badgery et al.) found that the inferred sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
rates from those credited projects were between 2 and 8 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year — far exceeding the 0.1–1.2 tonnes per hectare per year reported in decades of Australian scientific field trials. The researchers concluded that increased rainfall, not management changes alone, was the primary driver of the gains.
This does not mean the gains were illegitimate. Carbon stored in soil as a result of exceptional rainfall is still real carbon. The question the scientific community is now debating is whether it stays there once rainfall returns to average levels — and the early evidence suggests that in many cases, it does not fully persist.
Soil Carbon Does Not Build in a Straight Line
This is one of the most important things to understand before entering a project. Carbon accumulation follows a sigmoid curve An S-shaped curve describing how soil carbon builds rapidly at first, then slows as the soil approaches saturation., not a linear one. In the early years after management change, gains can be rapid and exciting. Then they slow significantly as the soil approaches a new equilibrium. The science community calls this carbon saturation. Once a soil fills its storage capacity, further organic inputs are decomposed rather than stored. The location of your property on that curve matters enormously — which is why independent baseline testing is non-negotiable.
What the Research Says: Rainfall Is the Main Driver
Robertson et al.
examined SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
across Victoria and found a clear hierarchy: climate > soil properties > management class > management practices. Practices such as stubble retention, minimum cultivation, and rotational grazing were not significantly related to SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
stock when climate was properly accounted for.
Sanderman et al. (CSIRO/MLA review)
found Australian sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
rates in field trials ranging from 0.1 to 1.2 tC/ha/yr, with the highest rates in higher-rainfall zones and in the first 5–10 years after a significant management shift. Rates then declined as soils moved toward a new equilibrium.
Badgery et al. 2024
confirmed the 2023 credit issuances coincided with Decile 10 rainfall years and recommended the Soil Carbon Method be updated to require a minimum 5-year measurement period and establish reasonable bounds on sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
claims. The CER has taken this seriously and it has informed ongoing method reviews.
Eastern Australia Rainfall Anomaly
Deviation from long-term average · QLD/NSW agricultural zones
Source: Bureau of Meteorology. La Niña A weather pattern bringing above-average rainfall to eastern Australia, typically every 3–7 years.
events: 2010–12, 2020–22. Most first soil carbon baselines were set 2016–2018 during a dry period.
Soil Carbon Accumulation Over Time
Typical S-curve pattern after management change vs common misconception
Based on Sanderman et al. CSIRO field trial data. Rates and timelines are illustrative. Individual property results will vary.
04 — Risks and Safeguards
What Are the Real Risks?
Soil carbon is a genuine opportunity, and it comes with genuine complexity. The CER has built safeguards into the system for good reason. Understanding them is the difference between a successful project and a costly surprise.
🌧️
Rainfall Variability
Soil carbon measurements are highly sensitive to rainfall in the measurement year. A project measured in a dry year may show little or no gain even if management has genuinely improved. Conversely, an exceptional wet year can inflate results. Neither outcome reflects long-term reality.
The CER increasingly requires longer measurement windows to account for this.
🔄
Permanence and Reversal
Soil carbon is not a one-way door. Revert to conventional tillage, overgraze, or experience severe drought or fire and previously sequestered carbon can return to the atmosphere. The CER requires a 25-year permanence The obligation to keep sequestered carbon in the soil for a set period — 25 years under the Soil Carbon Method 2021.
commitment.
If reversal is detected, credits must be relinquished. This obligation runs with the land, not just the current owner.
📏
Measurement Uncertainty
Soil carbon varies enormously over short distances. Accurate measurement requires multiple strategically placed core samples and still carries significant uncertainty. Results must be understood to vary with seasonal and natural conditions, sometimes considerably over short distances — this is a fundamental property of soil systems.
💰
Cost vs Return
Project setup costs including baseline sampling, registration, and developer fees can run to $50,000–$150,000 for a mid-sized property before a single ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
is earned. Developer commissions typically sit at 20–30% of revenue. For lower-rainfall properties, costs can exceed returns
unless the scale is large enough.
🧮
Additionality Requirements
Credits are only issued for carbon sequestered above and beyond what would have happened anyway under business as usual. If you have already adopted good management practices, your baseline will be higher and your upside lower. The best projects involve a genuine step-change
in management from a degraded starting point.
📋
Regulatory Change Risk
The soil carbon method has already been reviewed and updated multiple times. Future changes to measurement requirements or permanence The obligation to keep sequestered carbon in the soil for a set period — 25 years under the Soil Carbon Method 2021.
rules could affect the value or validity of an existing project. Understanding the legislative framework
before signing a long-term contract is essential.
How the CER Withholds Credits as a Safeguard
The Clean Energy Regulator does not issue all earned credits at once. A portion is held back, temporarily, as insurance against the risk that sequestered carbon is later lost through drought, fire, or management reversal.
Under the Soil Carbon Method 2021, 25% of credits are withheld in the first measurement period. These are held in a national buffer pool. If a project's carbon is maintained over the permanence The obligation to keep sequestered carbon in the soil for a set period — 25 years under the Soil Carbon Method 2021.
period, held credits are progressively released. If reversal occurs, they are cancelled instead.
A further 5% deduction is applied for project emissions
including equipment use and travel for sampling. The net result is that a project earning 100 ACCUs on paper may receive approximately 70–75 in the first period.
Research published in 2024 has called for the withholding buffer to be increased, arguing that 25% is insufficient to cover climate-driven variability over a 25-year horizon.
What Happens to 100 Gross ACCUs Earned
Gross ACCUs measured
100
Less: project emissions (5%)
−5
Less: permanence The obligation to keep sequestered carbon in the soil for a set period — 25 years under the Soil Carbon Method 2021.
buffer (25%)
−25
Net ACCUs to sell (year 1)
~70
Buffer credits are progressively returned over the 25-year permanence The obligation to keep sequestered carbon in the soil for a set period — 25 years under the Soil Carbon Method 2021.
period if carbon is maintained.
05 — The Regulatory Framework
How the Rules Have Evolved
Australian soil carbon law is a living framework, updated frequently as the science improves. Knowing where it came from helps you understand where it is heading.
2011
Carbon Farming Initiative Act
The foundational legislation creating the legal basis for crediting carbon sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
on agricultural land. Established the Clean Energy Regulator and the offsets integrity standards that all methods must satisfy. Soil carbon was explicitly included from the outset.
2014
First Soil Carbon Method Approved
The "Sequestering Carbon in Soils in Grazing Systems" method became operational. Uptake was slow due to high measurement costs and conservative default sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
rates. In more than seven years of operation, only one project was ever issued credits.
2018
Agricultural SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
Measurement Method
A broader method covering cropping and mixed-use land was introduced, allowing measurement and modelling approaches. This expanded eligibility significantly, though uptake remained limited.
2021
Measurement and Models Method ( SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
2021)
The current mainstream method. It combines physical soil core sampling with calibrated predictive models, reducing the number of cores required and making projects more commercially viable. This method drove the 2023 credit surge
and is what most new projects now use.
2022–23
Safeguard Mechanism Australia's policy requiring the 215 highest-emitting industrial facilities to keep emissions below declining baselines.
Reforms
The reformed Safeguard Mechanism Australia's policy requiring the 215 highest-emitting industrial facilities to keep emissions below declining baselines.
requires Australia's 215 highest-emitting industrial facilities to reduce emissions below declining baselines at 4.9% per year toward 2030. Facilities exceeding their baseline must surrender ACCUs or Safeguard Mechanism Australia's policy requiring the 215 highest-emitting industrial facilities to keep emissions below declining baselines.
Credits. This created powerful new corporate demand for ACCUs, pushing the spot price from around $20 to $42+ per tonne and driving a wave of new project registrations.
2023–24
Chubb Review and Integrity Reforms
An independent review largely upheld the scheme's credibility but recommended greater transparency and more rigorous monitoring. The CER introduced enhanced audit requirements for soil carbon projects and began reviewing whether sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
bounds should be tightened in response to the rainfall-driven 2023 issuances.
2025 onwards
Integrated Farm and Land Management Method (proposed)
The proposed IFLM method would allow landholders to combine multiple ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
activities on the same project area, reducing registration and auditing costs and significantly lowering the entry barrier for smaller properties. Method development is ongoing with an update expected in 2025.
06 — What You Can Do
Practical Ways to Build Soil Carbon
Building soil carbon is not a single trick. It is a combination of practices that together shift the balance from carbon loss to carbon gain. The key is reducing disturbance, adding organic matter, keeping living roots in the soil, and giving your microbial ecosystem what it needs.
The Single Most Important Rule
"Keep soil covered, keep roots in the ground, and keep carbon moving from plants to soil."
Every practice below is an expression of this one principle.
🔄
Rotational Grazing
Move stock regularly so pastures have adequate rest periods, allowing grasses to fully regrow deep root systems and pump more carbon below the soil surface. Research shows rotational grazing can increase SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
by 19–28% compared to continuous grazing.
+19–28% SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
potential
📉
Reduce Overgrazing
Overgrazed soils lose carbon rapidly through bare ground, crust formation, and erosion. Setting conservative stocking rates and monitoring pasture condition is the fastest way to stop the bleeding and start rebuilding carbon reserves.
Prevents ongoing SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
loss
🌾
Multi-species Pastures
Diverse pasture mixes produce more root biomass and feed a wider range of soil microbes. Including legumes fixes atmospheric nitrogen, reducing synthetic fertiliser dependency and boosting soil organic matter inputs simultaneously.
Higher carbon inputs
💧
Water Management
Improved water infiltration and retention from higher-carbon soils reduces runoff and erosion, which are major pathways for carbon loss. Better water management reinforces a positive cycle of carbon accumulation.
+25% water retention
🚜
No-Till / Minimum Till
Every time you till, you expose soil carbon to oxygen, triggering decomposition and CO₂ release. Reducing or eliminating tillage is one of the most impactful changes a cropper can make, with research showing meaningful SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
accumulation over time.
Reduces SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
oxidation
🌿
Cover Cropping
Growing a cover crop during fallow periods keeps living roots in the soil, feeds soil microbes, and adds significant organic matter when terminated. Cover crops can improve soil water retention by up to 25% and increase nitrogen cycling by 20–40%.
+25% water retention
🔁
Diverse Crop Rotation
Rotating crops with legumes, cereals, and pasture phases diversifies root depth and type, adds different carbon compounds, and breaks pest cycles. Perennial phases especially boost deep soil carbon stocks by 16–23% at 0–30 cm depth.
+16–23% SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
at 0–30cm
🌾
Residue Retention
Leaving stubble on the soil surface instead of burning feeds soil microbes and adds carbon directly. Covering 30% of the soil surface with residue significantly reduces wind and water erosion, the two fastest ways to lose topsoil carbon.
Direct SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
input
⬛
Biochar Application
Biochar is charred organic material that is highly resistant to decomposition. It can persist in soil for hundreds to thousands of years, also improving soil structure, water holding capacity, and providing habitat for beneficial microbes.
Highly stable long-term SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
🌿
Compost and Manure
Adding high-quality compost or aged manure directly adds organic matter, feeds microbes, and improves soil structure. These amendments provide both immediate and slow-release carbon inputs, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers over time.
Immediate SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
+ nutrient boost
🔬
Biological Fertilisers
Inoculating with mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria extends root reach and improves nutrient uptake, allowing plants to grow larger root systems that pump more carbon into the soil and build long-term fertility.
Indirect SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
via root growth
🧪
pH Correction
Acidic soils suppress microbial activity, the engine of carbon cycling. Correct pH with lime or dolomite to create conditions where microbes can efficiently process organic matter and stabilise it as humus.
Enables microbial SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
storage
🌳
Agroforestry
Integrating trees with crops or pasture dramatically increases total carbon inputs to the soil through leaf litter, deep roots, and improved microclimate. Studies show soil carbon sequestration The process of capturing atmospheric CO₂ and storing it in soil organic matter, where it can persist for years to centuries.
in agroforestry can be up to 4 times higher than in cropping alone.
Up to 4× higher than crops
🌱
Perennial Pastures
Perennial grasses and forbs maintain living root systems year-round, continuously feeding soil carbon. They have shown a 16–23% increase in SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
at 0–30 cm depth compared to monoculture annuals, with even greater gains deeper in the profile.
+16–23% SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
(0–30cm)
🌿
Native Vegetation Corridors
Protecting and restoring native vegetation on marginal paddock areas builds soil carbon and provides shade, windbreaks, habitat, and erosion control. Many landholders register these separately under ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
vegetation methods to stack income streams.
Multi-benefit SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
+ biodiversity
🌻
Pasture Renovation
Over-sowing bare or degraded areas with deep-rooted perennial species restores carbon input pathways. Maximising ground cover is critical: bare soil is a carbon-losing surface, regardless of any other practices employed.
Restores carbon input pathways
07 — The Science
How Carbon Gets Locked In
Not all carbon added to soil stays there. Understanding the mechanisms of stabilisation helps you choose the right practices for your soil type and conditions.
01
Physical Protection
Carbon is trapped within soil aggregates, clumps of soil particles bound by fungal threads and organic glues. Protected inside these structures, it is physically shielded from microbial decomposition. No-till practices preserve aggregate structure.
02
Mineral Association
Organic carbon binds chemically to clay minerals and metal oxides. This mineral-associated organic carbon can persist for centuries. Clay-rich soils have higher carbon storage potential than sandy soils for this reason.
03
Microbial Necromass
When soil microbes die, their cellular remains become a key source of stable, long-term carbon. A thriving, diverse microbial community, fed by root exudates and organic inputs, generates more of this durable carbon form.
04
Depth Matters
Deep-rooted species push carbon further down the soil profile, where cooler temperatures and lower oxygen levels mean slower decomposition. Carbon in subsoil can persist far longer than carbon in the top 10 cm.
Soil Profile — Carbon Distribution
Surface
0–5 cm
Surface Layer
Leaf litter, plant residues, active microbial zone. High turnover; carbon here is labile and easily decomposed.
Topsoil
5–30 cm
Topsoil (A Horizon)
Primary focus for soil carbon projects. Contains the most organic matter and biological activity. Management has its greatest and fastest measurable impact here.
Subsoil
30–60 cm
Subsoil (B Horizon)
Transition zone. Deep-rooted perennials and trees push carbon here. Carbon stored at this depth is more stable due to lower microbial activity.
Deep
60–100 cm
Deep Soil (C Horizon)
Largely influenced by geological parent material. Carbon entering here through deep roots is extremely stable and may remain sequestered for thousands of years.
Bedrock
100 cm+
Parent Material
Weathering rock. Very limited organic carbon. Provides minerals that can stabilise organic matter transported downward over time.
08 — Soil Carbon Estimator
Where Does Your Soil Sit?
Inspired by the CSIRO's LOOC-C tool, this estimator uses the same science-based driver hierarchy: rainfall first, then soil texture, climate zone, and management history. It gives a directional indication only; every property needs a real soil test and formal project assessment.
Enter Your Property Details
Primary driver
Secondary driver
Supporting factor
Average annual for your location
Paddock area for the project
—
Complete the form to see your estimate
Enter your details on the left
What's driving your result
Rainfall
Soil Texture
Climate Zone
Management
Est. baseline SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
% (0–30cm)
—
SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
stock (0–30cm)
—
tonnes C / ha
Sequestration range (tCO₂e/ha/yr)
—
Indicative ACCUs / yr
—
Indicative annual income (gross, before developer fees)
—
Important:
This is an indicative, education-only estimate based on the LOOC-C/CSIRO methodology hierarchy and published Australian field trial data (0.1–1.2 tC/ha/yr, Sanderman et al.). Rainfall is the largest single driver
of both baseline SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
and sequestration potential — research confirms climate outweighs management at landscape scale. Always engage a registered project developer for formal assessment before making financial decisions.
09 — Your Pathway
Getting Started
Running a soil carbon project under the ACCU Australian Carbon Credit Unit — one ACCU equals one tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered or avoided.
Scheme requires planning, but the steps are well established. Here's the typical journey from paddock to carbon credit.
1
🔍
Assess Your Land
Talk to a soil carbon service provider or agronomist about your property's baseline carbon levels and potential for increase. Location, soil type, rainfall, and current condition all matter. Queensland, NSW, and WA are showing the strongest results to date.
2
📋
Choose a Method
The CER has three active soil carbon methods. The most widely used is the Measurement and Models method (2021), which combines soil core sampling with calibrated modelling. Your project developer will advise which suits your situation.
3
📍
Set Your Baseline
A certified assessor takes soil core samples to establish your starting carbon level. This baseline is what everything gets measured against. It's rigorous, and that rigour is what makes Australian ACCUs credible on the global market.
4
🌱
Implement Practices
Begin your changed management: rotational grazing, no-till, cover crops, compost additions, or whatever is appropriate for your land type and goals. Some upfront investment is typically required, but many practices cut operating costs over time.
5
📏
Measure and Verify
After a minimum measurement period, sampling is repeated. If carbon has increased above your baseline, a Certificate of Entitlement is issued and ACCUs are generated — one for each tonne of CO₂ equivalent sequestered, net of the CER's deductions.
6
💰
Sell Your Credits
ACCUs can be sold directly to the Australian Government via a carbon abatement contract, or on the open secondary market. Safeguard Mechanism Australia's policy requiring the 215 highest-emitting industrial facilities to keep emissions below declining baselines.
corporates are active buyers and sometimes pay premiums for verified soil carbon projects specifically.
CER Soil Carbon Methods — Quick Reference
Sequestering Carbon in Soils in Grazing Systems (2014)
Original method. Measurement-based. Requires multiple soil core samples to demonstrate net carbon increase in grazing lands.
Measurement of SOC Soil Organic Carbon — the carbon stored in soil organic matter, measured as a percentage of dry soil weight.
in Agricultural Systems (2018)
Broader agricultural scope. Measurement and modelling approach. More detailed verification requirements.
Estimation Using Measurement and Models (2021)
Current mainstream method. Combines physical sampling with calibrated predictive models. Most widely used — drove the 2023 credit surge.
⚠
Disclaimer
This publication was produced by Southern Queensland Landscapes. This disclaimer governs the use of this publication. Professional care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of all the information provided; you must not rely on the information in this publication as an alternative to professional advice from an appropriately qualified professional. If you have specific questions about any data or suggestions contained in this publication you should consult an appropriately qualified professional. Results from specific parameter analyses, such as soil testing, must be understood to vary with seasonal and natural conditions, sometimes resulting in large variations over short distances. Claims will not be considered relating to the application of specific soil interpretations to areas beyond the sampling point. Southern Queensland Landscapes does not represent, warrant, undertake, or guarantee that the use of guidance in this publication will lead to any particular outcome or result. Southern Queensland Landscapes will not be liable to you in respect of any business or personal losses, including without limitation: loss of or damage to profits, income, revenue, use, production, anticipated savings, business, contracts, commercial opportunities, or goodwill. This publication is presented solely for informational purposes. Data is current to early 2026.
Funding Acknowledgement
This factsheet is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and delivered by Southern Queensland Landscapes, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.
