Moora Plains Soil Carbon Project

Moora Plains Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon project located near Gogango, 65km west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland. It was registered in January 2017 and covers a project area of 3553.95 hectares.

The Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology involves increasing the amount of carbon stored in agricultural soils by implementing eligible new management activities. For grazing operations, standard requirements include shifting away from set-stocking to time-controlled, rotational grazing systems with altered stocking densities, and verifying the sequestered carbon through rigorous baseline testing and subsequent soil measurement or modelling over time.

The Gogango region is predominantly used for beef cattle grazing and trading. The area experiences sub-tropical conditions with an average annual rainfall of approximately 615mm. The soils on the property are described as heavy, deep-cracking clays known as "melon hole" country, which historically suffered from high water run-off before the project improved deep-rooted perennial ground cover.

To improve soil health and vegetation cover, the project proponents, the Lawrie family, overseen by Carbon Link Operations, transitioned from conservative continuous grazing to intensive time-controlled grazing. They subdivided the property into over 70 to 85 paddocks and upgraded their water infrastructure via a new pipeline to handle higher stocking densities, which effectively doubled from 10 to 20 head per hectare. This system allowed for extended pasture rest periods, in some cases over 200 days during winter, supporting rapid pasture recovery out of dry periods.

Interestingly, Moora Plains made history in June 2023 when it became part of the first at-scale issuance of high-integrity soil carbon credits in Australia, earning over 85,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Soil testing demonstrated that 44 percent of the new carbon was safely sequestered below 30 centimetres, securely shielding it from drought and fires. Over its lifetime, the project has continually adapted to legislative updates, varying its methodology in 2021 and again in 2022 to align with the latest carbon estimation determinations.