Hibbert Springs (Revoked)

Hibbert Springs (Revoked) was a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 13km northeast of Stratford and 25km northeast of Sale in the Gippsland region of Victoria. Registered in July 2017, the project covered an area of 393 hectares. The surrounding Wellington Shire is a prominent agricultural hub, characterized by flat to undulating plains utilized extensively for dryland and irrigated grazing (dairy and beef), as well as some broadacre cropping.

The project operated under the Sequestering Carbon in Soils in Grazing Systems (2014) methodology. This method requires landholders to implement new management activities, such as altering stocking density, pasture cropping, or rejuvenating pastures, to increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil. To earn credits, the proponent must measure baseline soil carbon levels and demonstrate an increase over time through subsequent sampling.

Environmentally, the Stratford area experiences a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm. The soils in this region of the Gippsland Plains are typically texture-contrast soils (Sodosols), often featuring sandy or loamy topsoils over clay subsoils, which can be responsive to improved management practices but require careful handling to avoid erosion or compaction.

This project was voluntarily revoked on December 17, 2020, under Section 30 of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015. Section 30 allows proponents to voluntarily withdraw a project. This was a common occurrence for projects registered under the 2014 soil method, as many proponents found the specific measurement and audit requirements of that iteration to be cost-prohibitive or operationally rigid. Many such projects were revoked to facilitate a transition to the more flexible 2018 or 2021 soil carbon methods.